


Freyja's Experiment

by bymak



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 57,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22699123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bymak/pseuds/bymak
Summary: After returning from A9P-63M Sam feels utterly tired. How does it relate to a chat between Freyja and Loki?
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 89
Kudos: 173





	1. What's wrong with me?

It's been already three weeks and a few days since her last mission, yet Samantha Carter feels overwhelmingly tired. It doesn't make sense, Sam believes, to be this tired. Not when all she had done was sleep for eight hours straight once she had gotten home.

Now, four hours later, she sits at her workbench in her lab, her second cup of tea, long gone. She can't help but lean on her hands, sighing. She always hated feeling tired. This seemed as if there was nothing she could do about it. Since noticing her own tiredness, Samantha Carter had been taking extra good care of herself before Colonel O'Neill would make it an order. Hence, for the past two weeks, she had gone up to the commissary for lunch and dinner. She changed coffee for tea and signed out around 2000 under the surprised eyes of the airmen. When arriving home, it was a battle with herself to get showered and drag herself to bed for a full eight hours of sleep.

Sam rubs her face tiredly before she uses the last of her resolve to continue working. As she grabs the tweezers and tries to concentrate on the doohickey in her worktable, her energy seems to have evaporated. Sam feels as if she has not taken a single nap since their return from A9P-63M three weeks earlier when in truth, all of her free time has been spent with her eyes closed. And, to make her feel worse, she doesn't have any energy left to straighten herself when she hears the steps of her CO approaching her lab.

"Christ, Carter! Do I need to order you to get some shuteye?" Jack asks as soon as he enters her lab and notices the dark circles under her eyes and the slumped way she is sitting. Sam lowers the tweezers to the table. She shakes her head as if it will erase the fatigue that haunts her day and night.

"Sir?" she frowns.

"Carter, you need to take better care of yourself," he says in that tone that makes her feel like she is precious to him. "You can't keep pulling out that many hours while risking your health. One day you won't make it back to us because you fell asleep behind the wheel," Jack gulps trying to stop himself from going on down that train of thought, he fears the idea of Carter's car or bike crashing against something out on the road. He shakes his head to try to get rid of the images of a torn and bloody Carter.

"Really, Carter," Jack whispers. "We all worry about you when you get to this kind of sleep deprivation," he can't avoid it. His hands find her face, and the pad of his thumbs caress the dark shadows under her eyes. Noticing what he is doing, Jack lowers his head to find some doohickey he could play with if only to keep his hands to himself; when finding none, he pushes his hands deep inside his pockets and switches his weight from heel to toes and back again.

"Sir," she sighs, "I've been sleeping eight hours a night for the past two weeks."

Jack's head snaps down to look at her, surprised by her words and frowns. If she's been sleeping, why was she so pale and seemed about to fall asleep on her feet?

Sam takes his silence as a sign he doesn't believe her, and can't help the flash of pain from grazing her features. "You can take my word for it or check it with the entry guards, sir," she spits his title, and he looks at her, surprised by it.

"What?" Jack notices the hint of pain in her eyes a second before she blocks it from his view. It dawns on him, what she could have thought. "I believe you, Carter. I was just wondering, what could be wrong with you? For you to look like crap when you've been sleeping that much."

"Oh! Sorry for snapping, sir." Jack smiles as she lowers her head, ashamed for her reaction, a faint blush covering her cheeks.

"Blame it on the tiredness, Carter. Maybe all the extra sleep it's not suiting you?" He offers, he knows if something were wrong, she would find a way to tell him. "Wanna grab some coffee?" Jack asks, and she beams at him. His heart skips a beat. She stands up too quickly, her fast action leaving her feeling a bit lightheaded, and leaning on her table for support before she even realizes it.

"Ow," she lets out, taking a deep breath. "I stood up too quickly."

Jack frowns, fear settles in the pitch of his stomach, he knows something is going on with her. His gut tells him to drag her to the infirmary and get her checked, but she grins up at him. "I'm good. Let's find that coffee, sir," she tells him. Even if her mind is telling her, she will not drink coffee because she believes it wouldn't help with her constant tiredness.

Jack eyes her for a second too long, "you are sure you are all right?" he asks, and she nods before they stroll to the elevators, finding Daniel on their way.

"Sam! You look like…"

"Crap, I know," she rolls her eyes.

"Like you need some sleep or coffee, I was going to say," Daniel grins sheepishly. "But crap will do too." Jack snorts."Hey Jack. So, you guys are headed to the commissary?"

"Yup, we are going to pump some coffee in that body of hers." They call the elevator and stand, waiting for the doors to open.

"I've finished the translation of the artifact we brought from A9P-63M," Daniel beams, proud of his achievement. There's a soft bing! And Jack and Sam enter the cart, Daniel follows.

"Really?" Jack arches his eyebrows, getting himself ready for the chatter that will come.

"Does it says anything interesting?" Sam asks sluggishly. Daniel and Jack exchange a glance at her lack of interest.

"No," Daniel chuckles while he nods to Jack in askance. "It's only the history of Freyja."

The archeologist waits for some kind of answer from Sam as she always would, but none comes. By then, the frown in Daniel and Jack's faces has grown deeper, and it appears it won't leave them anytime soon. "Our mythology places Freyja as the sister of Freyr, who is a goddess associated with war, death, love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, and seior… that would be magic," Daniel provides as they ride their way to the commissary.

"Daniel," Jack looks at him pointedly. He hasn't heard or noticed the elevator's door opening behind his back.

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"Jack?"

"Are we getting that coffee?" Sam stops them from their one-word battle.

"Oh, right!" Daniel grins sheepishly, noticing he was blocking the exit. He walks backward as if he was merely continuing his explanation while, in reality, he is utterly worried about her. "It seems that A9P-63M was old Freyja stomping grounds."

"I thought you said it wasn't interesting," Jack jabs as they get into the line. The men exchange yet another glance at the lack of snort coming from Carter.

"Well, it's not interesting in the type of interest you'd like," he shrugs. They reach the coffee machine, and as Jack pours the first cup, Sam pales as she remembers the other reason she hadn't had coffee after their return.

"Oh, God!" she manages to get out. 'What's wrong with me?' she thinks as she covers her mouth and rushes to the bathroom.

Her friends follow her surprising retreat with high-raised eyebrows. She runs as if Goa'ulds were chasing her. So they exchange yet another worried glance.

"I guess no coffee," Jack says as he shoves the half-filled mug to Daniel.

Jack picks up a lime soda and some saltine crackers for Sam along with an orange juice for himself before he goes to wait for his Carter in front of the bathroom doors.

Coffee in hand, Daniel follows. Jack glares at him and his coffee before Daniel gulps it down in one swig. He searches his pockets, finding a stick of mint gum with an excited "aha!" and offers it to Jack.

"No, thanks. Those will rot your teeth," Jack says to annoy his friend.

"But it will also get rid of the coffee breath," Daniel points with a grin as the door of the bathroom finally opens.

"Sorry, sir, Doctor Jackson," Airman Chase says, coming from the room and finding them blocking the way out. Noticing their worried glances, she assumes it's Major Carter, the one emptying the contents of her stomach inside. "She is still at it," she says.

"Thanks, Airman," Jack nods.

"Is it empty?" Daniel asks at the same time, Chase nods, and they rush inside.

Airman Chase looks at them and was going to complain about male personnel in one of the few female bathrooms, but then she remembers who they are and shakes her head. So she remains guarding the door until they come out.

Inside, they find Sam heaving in one stall, kneeling in front of the toilet. Jack looks around the bathroom and spots a paper towel dispenser. Pushing his previous purchase into Daniel's hand, he hurries to it, grabbing a handful of paper towels. He places them under the freshwater before he stalks back to Sam. Jack rubs her neck with the wet and sticky papers, leaving a trail of white as he does, but he can't care about it. She is sick, and he happens to know that cooling her neck should help a bit.

"I'm sorry," Sam says as she finally stops gagging. "Thanks, guys," she adds, her eyes fill with tears for the concern she sees in their eyes, especially in the Colonel's eyes.

Unable to hold her gaze for longer without giving away feelings he shouldn't be feeling after all this time, Jack grabs the cold lime beverage from Daniel's hands and pushes right under her nose.

"Drink," he orders, and she smiles gratefully at him, looking up so he can see her smile clearly. - It is the one she saves for him, Jack notices. - They seem to remember the third party standing next to Jack soon enough. It's then when Sam takes a swig. She grimaces at the bitter taste of her stomach contents mixed up with the sweet drink.

"I think I'm coming down with the flu," Sam says, mostly to see if that erases some of the worries she sees in their eyes. It doesn't.

So, she tries to stand up to show them she is all right but fails miserably. The world tilts, and she closes her eyes to try to grasp the fact that the ground isn't moving. Even if she knows that Earth is rotating around its axis as it wanders around the sun in an elliptical movement, along with a lot of astrophysical explanations that her mind provides her to tell her she is wrong.

Sam takes a deep breath and opens her eyes after what feels like hours. Jack offers her his hand, and as she takes it, he pulls her up. Unable to do much to stop it, Sam sways in place and closes her eyes again. Everything around her is moving, except the warm body of Jack O'Neill that is cocooning her as if he was a rock, her rock.

The umpteenth worried look is exchanged between Jack and Daniel.

"I think I need to get myself to the infirmary," she whispers.

She has let out the scariest request any member of SG-1 could possibly utter, the only phrase that can actually tell them for sure how bad things are. Then Sam collapses in Jack's arms.

**Weeks earlier**

**Orilla**

"Freyja."

"Loki."

"Freyja, you must help me."

"Loki. No one can help you, the council has spoken, and you will be kept here until the last of your days. You are in luck that they decided not to upload your consciousness for good."

"Yes, I understand it," Loki said. "However, that's not it." Freyja blinked, confusion showing in her eyes.

"Freyja, I need you to carry one of my experiments to the end." Loki pleaded.

"The experiments you can't access are related to the Tau'ri. You are forbidden to get near them, Loki. You are not a Vanir."

"I know that! What if I found it? What if I can save us?" Freyja blinked again.

"Explain…"


	2. Not quite the Virgin Mary

She's pregnant.

She has no idea how that happened. Well, she has some idea of how it should happen but hasn't happened to her in years.

Sam blinks as Jack stares at her, pain, and a hint of betrayal written in his eyes. Daniel's eyes show confusion, a bit of hurt. The way he steals a glance towards Jack speaks to Sam of disappointment.

Janet looks at her with a confused frown. She can hear Janet's thoughts. 'Really, Sam? You have a one-night stand and get knocked up?' she knows it's just her imagination. Janet would be the first to say that her screwed up body chemistry could've affected the contraception she's been using, even after all this time, as if she wants Sam not to feel guilty. Sam notices an ounce of pain in her friend's eyes.

Way back since the Hathor days, Janet had become her confidant. Janet tells her about her few flings and how it's hard to find someone when she has Cassie to worry about. In turn, Sam had confessed how much of sex life she is lacking. They trust in each other for that kind of support, both being women in this 'men's army.' So, Sam understands the pain she sees coming from Janet, thinking she had some hot date at some point and didn't let her best friend know.

The reality is that Sam hasn't had a date since the one that failed miserably with that chubby cop friend her brother insisted she met. That hadn't gone well at all—Janet knows all about it. The last update she gave to Janet about her sex life happened years ago. It's still the last time she had sex with another person. She doesn't tell Janet about desperate nights exploring herself, with forbidden thoughts fueling her fingers—Janet knows all about the forbidden thoughts. During the second year of the Stargate program, Sam had sought comfort in a stranger. Janet also knows that she had felt utterly awkward when she called the guy a wrong name. A name so off-limits it should never enter her mind, while her body seeks release, but it happens much too often. So, Sam hadn't had a one-night stand in years, not even if her body requested one, and especially not since that energy field. Since that moment, every single flirt with someone other than the Colonel seemed like a betrayal, so she didn't. She just couldn't.

"I guess congratulations are in order," Janet lets out and smiles, but Sam notices quickly that the smile doesn't reach her eyes. She also sees that, behind Janet, the guys exchange an uncomfortable glance.

"Yeah, congratulations, Carter."

"Children are a blessing, Sam, and you told me you always wanted to be a mommy," Daniel adds.

Still, this is nothing like how she had imagined being a mommy! God! There wasn't even sex. And somehow they say she is pregnant!

Sam huffs, she doesn't even try to get out a thank you to them, too frustrated by the situation. It's then that Janet ushers the guys out of her infirmary, after announcing she is keeping Sam for observation, mostly to keep an eye on her because of the symptoms she is presenting.

"What about?" Jack trails waving in the air, and Sam frowns.

"I'm reporting it when Sam can be there," Janet says.

The petite doctor doesn't need to be a genius to know her friend is going to complain about it. She is petrified when she notices that Sam doesn't even voice a protest against it. There's yet another worried glance, this time; the guys include the doctor in their exchange. Janet nods in understanding, but there's nothing she can do about it. It's a pregnancy, and she has to report it.

"I'm sure you have plenty of stuff to do, so off you go," Janet waves them out. They look at Sam, and with a sigh, they finally leave the room.

"Janet, there must be a mistake," Sam says, stopping her friend from leaving. "I can't… my chemistry… you said…" she tries, but she can form a coherent thought, mostly because her mind keeps providing her with facts about how improbable or downright impossible is becoming pregnant out of the blue without having any contact from the male sex.

"Sam, trust me. I'll be the last one to judge if you needed to have a fling. I'm surprised you didn't tell me about it. Even more astounded that you are pregnant, body chemistry changed and all. Not to mention, why didn't you use a condom? You of all people are smarter than that."

"That's the thing, Janet. There's no one. I haven't…" she trails off as Siler enters the room, blood pouring from his forehead. Janet sighs.

"The only thing I can do is rerun those tests," she sighs. Sam knows Janet is hurt, thinking she doesn't have the faith to trust her with this. That there's some mystery man responsible for Sam's baby.

Hours later, when the infirmary is once again empty, the second batch of tests turns out the same results. Sam keeps trying to convince Janet that something must be wrong, that something must have happened.

"Honey, if you keep insisting you haven't had sex, we won't be able to tell how far along you are," Janet says in a motherly tone.

"I haven't had sex!" Sam hisses.

"FINE!" Janet says, rolling her eyes, "I'll say it's two or three weeks then. You'll need an ultrasound in a few weeks, and then we can confirm the dates with the evolution of the embryo," she scribbles something in her file and then she adds. "We need to get you to the briefing room, how are you feeling now?"

Sam tries to stand up and notices she finally can remain up without the world spinning on her. "Well, I don't feel dizzy any more. I'm still exhausted and a bit lightheaded," Sam explains. Janet nods tightly, adds some notes to the folder in her hands, and together they stroll to the briefing room.

She takes her seat, it's not like there are designated spots, but everyone knows she sits there at every briefing. Janet goes to find the other people that will need to be there.

Sam sees as her team, her friends... her family, sit around the table. Looking at her in a way she never wanted to experience, but she knows all too well from her youth. The disappointment is clearly present and reminds her of her father's stern eyes way back when.

Hammond joins the crew, takes a seat, and Janet sighs. Sam understands it is her friend under the coolish facade of Doctor Fraiser, the one who sighed. Doctor Frasier, per se, would never sigh on a case she can't control, and definitively not when it's something as simple as an unplanned pregnancy.

"Great, we are all here, as you requested, Doctor Fraiser. What is that you wanted to discuss?" Hammond says, looking around the table. His eyes fall on Sam's figure, and he frowns, seeing how ill at ease she seems to be.

"Sir, I requested the meeting because I think that what I have to inform you about, it is better to be done in person and since it affects SG1 future…" Janet trails, the boys flinch, and Teal'c turns his ever-watchful eyes towards Sam.

Janet takes a deep breath that makes the hairs in the nape of Hammond's neck stand. The way everyone is looking at Sam tells him it has to do with her, and her demeanor isn't quite hopeful. Sam cringes but nods at her friend for her to continue.

Sam can't bring herself to tell Hammond the news because she still has not processed how it happened. She, after all, still doubts the medical report.

"Major Carter is… " Janet stops herself, wondering how she could break this to him, but she shakes her head, deciding that wording doesn't matter in this situation. "Major Carter is pregnant, sir."

Hammond's head snaps towards Sam, his eyes are wide, and disbelief covers his expression. "Is this true?" He asks Sam, but she doesn't answer.

"Yes, sir. We did two sets of tests at different times. Both came back positive. There are no other indicators that it could be something else," Janet explains, closing a folder she brought with her and pushing it forward into Hammond's hand.

Sam lowers her head, feeling utterly ashamed, and she doesn't quite know why. She is pregnant, it seems, but she isn't overjoyed, not even when she knows this is probably her only chance at being a mother.

But she knows too well that Janet is mad, Daniel is furious, Teal'c (who still hadn't said a word about it) is upset. General Hammond is dismayed... but Jack, her Jack, is deeply hurt. Above all, the shared feeling of disappointment ( that for some reason, she too shares) is overwhelming.

Sam can feel the stares, and she knows she has five pairs of questioning eyes, hoping for an explanation she doesn't quite know how to word. (There's none she can give!) Sam shakes her head and straightens a bit on her seat, but not even that can prepare her for the next blow.

"Major Carter, you are removed from SG-1 effective immediately," Hammond's stern words feel like a slap as she absorbs the meaning of them.

"Sir?" She manages to say; disbelief etched in her features.

"Rules, Major. Now that I've been informed about this, hmm, pregnancy of yours, I need to remove you from the front lines," Hammond says and wonders how exactly the brightest of them seem to be so blinded by the effects of her pregnancy causes. Not that he doesn't know how pregnancy happens, it's the way she is acting about it, when she knows all the rules in the book by heart, what surprises him.

"Oh," Sam whispers, her heart races wildly in her chest, her face flushes, and her hands quickly find her mouth before she rushes out of the room in search of the nearest bathroom without even thinking about asking permission to leave the room.

As her body shakes with uncontrollable force, and she heaves into the cold white porcelain, she figures no one would believe her. No one could imagine that she hasn't had sex for the past six years. (And only three one-night-stands since she broke her engagement with Hanson.)

She might have been living celibate for a while, but she is not quite the Virgin Mary after all.

**Orilla**

**Weeks earlier**

"What you are proposing is preposterous, Loki!" Freyja says.

"There's a reason why you were called the Goddess of love, fertility and magic, Freyja."

"Loki, you know that experiments on humans aren't allowed, especially not with people from the Tau'ri."

"It's not an experiment, Freyja."

"How is it not?"

"It's only a collection of several approved gifts we know will work."

"Oh, tell me more."

"It's a combination of several gifts that gave you your name. All of those you've once bestowed to help star-crossed lovers."


	3. Honestly, sir.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This fic is not at all trying to be serious (I mean, have you read the chapters' titles?). It will become fluffy fluff in a bit.

Sam hears the steps of her CO approaching her position. She hadn't had time to close the door, and she knows she is giving a pitiful show for the small audience that comes by the 27th floor. And what's worse, Sam knows she only needs one person for it to become part of the rumor mill. She doesn't delve much into it as she feels a really cool towel on her neck and her eyes fill with tears when the simple act shows her how much he cares.

Now, she is out of SG-1, somehow pregnant, and she's almost grateful for the new set of heaving because she can't look at him without wondering what he would think of her now.

"Don't worry, Carter. We'll save you your spot," he offers softly, and she cries.

Jack wants to close the door, give her some privacy, and a hug to comfort her, but he can't. The bathroom isn't big enough for both of them. They'll attract enough attention as they are.

"Here, Jack," Daniel says, passing him a glass of water. Sometime after Sam had rushed out of the room and Jack followed her. Daniel went to grab some water and Teal'c stood in the corridor to keep anyone from going near them.

Sam doesn't know this as she sits on the floor, and Jack lowers the cup slowly in front of her. Jack has dealt with a pregnant woman before and Sarah had one of those pregnancies that had her sitting on the bathroom floor the greater part of the day.

She turns around then and sees what her guys have done for her. Tears fall before she can stop them. She wipes them with the back of her hand before she accepts Jack's hand and stands on wobbly legs.

"Feeling better?" he asks. She can only manage a slight nod. "Do you think you can be there for the rest of the meeting?"

'Please no,' she thinks, but soldiers on with a nod. "Yes, sir."

"Let's go then," he says, and they stroll down the corridor towards the briefing room. For Sam, it feels like one of those SNAFU missions where one of them is injured. Daniel walks in front of them and Teal'c follows them close behind, keeping her 'safe'. But how can they keep her safe from her own treacherous body? Can they?

They return, and Hammond looks at her with understanding eyes and sighs.

"I'm sorry Major, but I need to continue, we need to settle this situation before I can call the President to inform the situation," he says. Sam blanches, because not only will all her guys, Janet and Hammond think she had unprotected sex and somehow ended up pregnant. Now her CO must inform the President himself. She wonders if anyone else would feel this awkward when telling someone they were knocked up.

"Since being out of SG-1 will keep you out of commission, Major Carter, effective immediately, I'm placing you as the chief of R&D. This position might end up changing once the President and JCS, have revisited your case. Until then, you will report to me. As per protocol, you are forbidden to travel through the gate, until the CMO approves it."

Sam cringes inwardly, she thinks it must be a joke that this is the first time since she met Jack that she isn't under his direct chain of command, and it's just her luck that it happens when she appears to be pregnant with someone else's child. (At this point, she considers she wouldn't mind there being a 'someone-else' since it would make things easier to explain. Not to mention keep all those thoughts she has about alien babies at bay.)

Hammond dismisses them, and stops her giving her a half heartfelt, "Congratulations, Major". She nods because Sam can't possibly shout to her CO about how much this is not her fault, and how she doesn't have the slightest clue on how she got to this situation, to begin with.

Sam somehow keeps it together until she gets home. Janet had mothered her enough by then and had followed her home, afraid that she might not feel well enough to drive back by herself. (Janet might not like the situation, but she still worries about her friend.) Parking in her driveway, Sam gets out of the car and waves to Janet before she walks up the steps, seeking the safety of her home.

She enters it feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. The crushing weight of it makes Sam feel overwhelmed and drained as she slides down against the door. Tears rolling down her face for what it feels like the millionth time in just one day.

She is pregnant. The few congratulations she received are nothing quite like the movies had led her to believe. Quite the contrary, each compliment seems to be so backhanded that she wonders what she did to deserve them. (She knows from where it comes from.) Still, she is pregnant and there is no explosion of happiness, only doubts on how it could be possible. Mental images of half-alien babies, along with memories of the utter disappointment marring her friends' eyes.

Sam doesn't know how long it's been since she started crying when she hears a knock on her door. She considers remaining still, so whoever it is, leaves her alone. Then she hears the distant sound of jiggling keys, and she knows it has to be one of her teammates.

Daniel, she thinks. She is tempted to let go a 'go away, Daniel! Leave me alone!' but she doesn't. She wipes her tears with the back of her hands and crawls until she's out of the way. The key enters the keyhole as she finds the strength to stand. The door opens.

"Colonel O'Neill," she says, shocked to see him, but waves him in. "Can I get you something?" Sam says mostly because she could use another couple of minutes without being scorned for this pregnancy that she has a way to stop, but she won't. She's seen it happen too many times, too many deployed women placing their military career above their chance at motherhood if only to stop the displeased expression of CO's and coworkers as the news about their pregnancy spread as if they were the only ones responsible for their pregnancies.

He shakes his head noticing he had lost her attention and links their hands together, slowly walking them outside. Jack has been to her house enough times to know there's a nice deck in the back that's more private than sitting on a couch in front of her windows.

Getting out there, Jack searches around and finds a chair that will hold the two of them. He sits, pulling her hand, she doesn't sit and remains standing biting her lower lip.

"Carter, I came to apologize," he says and pulls her hand once more. This time she concedes and sits beside him. Feeling all tingly by being so close to him that their hips are almost squashed together where they met in the middle of the chair.

"I'm sorry, we were kinda' rude with you, we didn't even consider how you felt about it. I mean, it's been years of me telling you to get a life and when you finally do, we act like crap towards you. Especially, when it was clear to all of us you got into with way more than you bargained for," Jack whispers risking a glance towards her.

If he was honest, this was one of the hardest things he had to do. Sitting there, right next to her, his Carter, without rules between them, but at the same time, with someone, he (or anyone else) doesn't know between them.

"Sir…" she trails, wondering if she should explain there's no one else, that she hasn't cheated on him even if they never were together to start with. That she is as shocked as everyone else to find out this has happened to her. That she now has to deal with consequences for actions she never consciously took. Soon she will have to deal with the looks she had seen on so many people before when a woman picked maternity over active duty.

Jack sees the expressions and emotions wavering on her face and he understands part of what she must be dealing with. He too had been the witness to deployed women getting the blunt side of discrimination when they found out they were pregnant while deployed. He vows to himself to make sure she doesn't suffer through that.

"Really, Carter, there's no need to explain... I came to tell you I'm here for you, especially if the father is a no-show."

She looks at him and she can't say she is surprised by his words. Sam knows this man too well, and she knows he is as honorable as one could be. Sam also knows she only needs to ask, and he would be a father figure for her child, even if it kills him to know he isn't the father. She shakes her head there get rid of stupid thoughts as angriness bubbles inside of her.

"That is the thing, sir!" Sam spats and Jack flinch at her tone. "There's no father!"

"The rat bastard!" He growls.

Jack can't possibly understand who in their right mind would have the opportunity of getting Samantha Carter pregnant, only to throw it away. She's saying something else, so he shakes his head. "Tell me who he is, and I'll kill him myself, Carter," he hisses. Her eyes fill up with tears, out of the way his words speak of his feelings for her. He wants to facepalm himself, offering to kill a man she obviously liked enough to bring into her bed.

She can see he is thinking a mile per minute and, for once, she is the one who can't catch up. Taking a deep breath, she bravely places a hand on his thigh to stop his trail of thoughts and bring attention back to herself.

"No, sir, I mean," she lowers her head and lets out a sigh. "I don't know who he is." Jack's head snaps to look at her, a look of utter disbelief in his mind.

"Carter, I don't mean any disrespect, but how the heck you don't know who knocked you up?" He can't believe his - by the book- Carter would be reckless to have sex with, hm, several men at the same time so she wouldn't know who got her pregnant... 'No!' his mind roars, he is not going there. He can't and won't imagine her with multiple partners in a short time. So, his mind offers him another and not a quite so far-fetched choice. Jack's eyes widen in horror since it's the only thing he wouldn't wish upon anyone, not even his worse enemy.

"Were you... assaulted?" he asks, fear etched in his voice that isn't louder than a whisper. But she would tell them is she had been, wouldn't she? 'Unless she is ashamed, she wouldn't,' he thinks. Jack knows, he was and wouldn't even tell a soul about it. Not even the appointed Psych after his return from his time as a POW. She sees the emotions run freely in his face until terror settles in and she finally considers his question.

"No!" she shouts and then frowns as she considers his question. Truth is, she could've been, and she simply doesn't remember it. Was that what had happened? She wonders as she shakes her head. "I mean, I don't know," she huffs feeling lost. "Sir? I really have no clue as to how this happened," she confesses in an embarrassed whisper.

He searches her face, Jack knows that even if it would pain him, she wouldn't lie to him, not in something like this. But his treacherous mind makes his eyes search hers, and he notices the pain of not being believed swimming with other things he won't dare to consider.

"You mean?" He frowns. He hopes his eyes are conveying something akin to compassion, something that would help her open up to him.

"I know how it should happen," she whispers, looking up, "or at least, the chances on how it could happen…"

He waits, he knows there's a 'but' coming. And she turns around enough to face him before she braves it out. "Honestly, sir, I have no recollection whatsoever of any of them happening to me."

"Are you sure?"

"Earthbound, yes, there was nothing that could explain it. Off-world, you've been there, sir. I'm sure you would remember if something happened to me, right?"

"Right. Look, I didn't mean to intrude in your life, Carter, but I wanted to know if you would need help with this, hm, situation. So, I asked Janet if she knew if you were seeing someone. She was pissed, she told me you didn't say nor wanted to talk about who the father might be."

Sam huffs, and then she starts laughing almost hysterically, tears are streaming down her face, and she knows she is a mess, a big emotional mess, and still, he, her sir, her Jack, remains sitting beside her. And she sees that thing they never dared to name out loud as more than 'care' shining in his eyes.

"Would you believe me if I told you that the last date I had, was four months ago, and we never went past the theatre line. Gosh, the guy was so annoying that I had to get out of that date within the first ten minutes of knowing him. Thank God, Janet called me then, so I told him it was an emergency and rushed out of there," she blurts out.

Jack thinks she is wasting her life waiting for something that might never happen, there are rules building a wall between them, and… he frowns, there aren't rules anymore. But he won't go there, not tonight.

"I was too shocked, I am still shocked. But between the usual infirmary rush and the fact that we had to agree on how to tell it to the General, even if I didn't believe it. I didn't know how to explain it to her. Nor she had much time to try to understand what I wasn't really saying," she huffs.

"Really, sir, the only explanation I have is erotic dreams, but they can't knock you up, right?" There's no chance it was my doing," she flushes bright red then, noticing what she had just confessed to her former CO, and can't help to add an awkward "sir."

"Erotic dreams, you say?" he grins. He can't avoid wondering if he is who she sees in those nights.

"That's the only type of sex I've had. The only explanation I can give. With my sex life or lack thereof being what it is. I can only blame dreams and it sounds preposterous even to me," she finishes. She feels uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time, it is her CO (former CO) and he's her friend, the one she has been pinning for years, the reason behind her celibacy.

"I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to make you feel uncomfortable, Carter," he gives her a half-smile, and she almost melts on her spot.

"You aren't, the situation is. I'm sorry for laying all this on you. I know Janet chalked it up to me being embarrassed by "an accident", as I would if I was in her position," she sighs. "Hell, sir! I'm just as confused… one week I'm feeling great, then days later, I'm feeling like crap and I'm apparently pregnant with a baby I have no recollection of conceiving."

"We should contact the Asgard," Jack says out of the blue and grabs her hand, pressing it into his.

"What?"

"You said it yourself, Carter. You have no recollection of conceiving it and yet here you are out of SG1, pregnant. There must be something else they can provide. I don't know genetic make-up, some prodding on your memories, if you are okay with your memories being prodded, that is."

"Wait, you believe me?" she frowns, and he looks at her as if the mere concept of believing her words was something that he should be afraid of, but he sees nothing that points she is lying, (She's a terrible liar.)

"Of course, Carter! I have no reason to doubt you, and I know you aren't lying to me. I'm sure if you had explained this to Janet or the guys they would have reached the same conclusion. Come on! This situation doesn't look good for you, you have no clue as to the father, or the how, and you're out of the work you love. I guess the least we can do is contact our allies and see if they can figure out what the hell is going on with you."

"Thank you, sir."

"There's nothing to thank me. If at all, we should thank our grey friends if they can provide some more information on this. Now, I'm going to leave, get yourself some sleep and we'll talk about this in the morning. Okay?"

"Yes, sir."


	4. It isn't really so far-fetched, is it?

Jack finds his way to base earlier than he usually would, he knows Daniel didn't leave, and Teal'c can't. Janet was also on shift. So, he hurried to the base to catch up with them in the mess hall. Not surprisingly, by the time he reaches them, he finds them at SG-1's unofficial table.

Trying to compose himself enough not to bite their heads off, Jack grabs some cereal and a coffee before he walks to them. It didn't quite work. Jack slams his tray down, forcefully enough that some of his coffee spills on the table. Sitting, he glares at them. The two Doctors flinch at his stare, while Teal'c merely raises his eyebrow, not surprised by the seething Colonel's actions.

"Colonel O'Neill," the Jaffa greets, assessing him. Jack nods at the alien, takes a sip of his coffee, and a deep breath later, he sighs.

"What the hell were you all thinking yesterday?" Jack hisses.

"What?" "Huh?" and Teal'c's eyes squinting at him are the answers he gets, but he doesn't pay attention. He has already started and can't seem to stop himself now.

"God, we all acted up like hurt babies! And the only one carrying one is she," he whispers angrily. "We didn't bother to ask her how she was coping with this. We all just assumed she screwed up badly. We all should know better; it's Carter! For crying out loud! The brightest mind in the history of the Stargate!"

"Sir?" Janet says, trying to stop his tirade, but he doesn't let her.

"No, Janet. We were all hurt yesterday. You both thought she was hiding something from you, that she somehow betrayed me. And yes, I was a bit disappointed knowing…" he stops himself from saying what he feels, "that she won't step through the gate anymore. I know you feel the same T. I couldn't help but feel like an ass, wondering why she felt the need to hide a guy from us when I've been asking her to have a life for years, not to mention the rules. But do you know what none of you did yesterday? Listen, truly listen to her."

"She didn't have much to say," Janet says, feeling chastised.

"Yes! She did! But you weren't listening, were you, Janet? Carter said, you didn't have a lot of time when she was at the infirmary, and that's understandable. Did you know she has no clue how she got pregnant? Did you know that every possible way is being analyzed by her, in her mind? Because I do. I sat with a stunned Carter and just listened to her, as she told me she has no idea this happened. Trust me; she would've been feeling a lot more comfortable sharing it with you, her best friend. Instead, she got me. You let her no choice."

"Sir, I…"

"No. I know you followed her home, Janet. She said so. I know you were mothering her after the briefing. But what I really don't get is why you didn't figure out the reason she was so shocked by it. Especially when you know how pregnancies in military bases are taken, just like she does. You both know how women are treated when they pick motherhood over being a front-line soldier."

"I never thought…" Janet says, her eyes widened, noticing that she hadn't even considered that!

"We both figured that much," Jack huffs. "And you know what really gets on my nerves? She has a perfect excuse for all our reactions!"

"To our reactions?" Daniel asks, his voice barely a broken whisper.

"Yes. Did you think she hasn't stopped to consider your side of the matter?"

"No, Sam would've considered what we were thinking and feeling," Daniel grimaces. "No wonder she couldn't utter a word." Jack sighs, his angriness finally seeping out of him. He rubs his face tiredly.

"Haven't we seen enough around here? When are we going to learn that if someone says I have no clue, then something really is off? How many times does Daniel need to die and come back? Before we'll stop thinking things as 'normal' around here, when they clearly aren't?" he asks, not waiting for an answer.

"Now, I'm going to take my tray and disappear inside my office. Until the guys at the entrance call me to let me know she is here. Then, I'm taking her to Hammond's office, and we will request a visit to that planet we use to contact the Asgard. If he grants it, which I'm sure he will, the three of us are going to leave, contact them, and get back. In the meantime, you all will find the time to get your heads out of your asses and apologize. Did I make myself clear?" Jack says, his deep and dangerous voice not rising above a whisper since he started. He sees Daniel and Janet nod quickly in acknowledgment too surprised, both by his rant or by what they just learned, to do more than that.

"Indeed," Teal'c says as Jack raises from his chair and disappears out of the commissary.

"Whoa," Daniel huffs, and that gets him a stare from Teal'c.

"Don't you believe Colonel O'Neill was the most honest? I have not congratulated Major Carter on her child. I hurt because I know she won't be joining us in our battles for a long time. Her absence will be noticed in our war against the Goa'uld. O'Neill is right, and my thoughts should not have kept me from telling her. Major Carter will always have my support and respect."

"I said children are a blessing," Daniel's shrugs.

"Yet your eyes showed only betrayal and pain when we were briefed, even when you confessed later on that you were already aware of her state," Teal'c points out.

"But…" Teal'c raises his eyebrow and waits for Daniel to come up with something that can justify his behavior. "I always thought Sam was going to wait for Jack," he mumbles.

"Didn't we all?" Janet says as she pinches the bridge of her nose, mentally kicking herself for not listening to her best friend. "I screwed up. I should've seen those signs, I've seen the confusion and the worry on pregnant military women before, but her shock. I should've prodded some more. But there was nothing that would indicate it didn't happen by normal means, except her saying she hadn't had sex," she sighs.

"I guess until she's back on base, there's nothing I can do," she throws her spoon on her tray a bit forcefully and sighs, "I'll better go back to my infirmary, who knows what other weird injuries Siler can come up with today."

Inside the office that he uses more often than most people would believe, Jack sips his coffee. He's working through the things Hammond has trusted him with as his 2IC when his phone goes off. On the other end of the line, the guard at the front entrance announces him that Major Carter has entered Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

Knowing his 2IC as he has for the past seven years, Jack saves his work and hurries down to level nineteen. Where he knows Sam's will be heading. He paces in the lobby in front of the elevator until it opens, and she steps out of it.

"Carter!" he calls since she hasn't noticed him. Her feet were carrying her to her lab while she was lost in thought.

"Sir? Good morning," she smiles. She is tired, and he notices it.

"Get any sleep?"

"Yeah, but I just don't feel rested," she grimaces as they stop in front of the door marked as B-3. Her new full-time home away from home. He stops her from swiping her card to open the door to her lab.

"Come on, Carter," he says, linking their hands together. "Let's get that talk with Hammond out of the way."

"Sir, I'm not sure if we should…"

"Have you figured out how it happened?" he asks as they stop in front of the elevator doors.

"No," she answers, shaking her head.

"Then, we should. Let's go; I'll be there. I'll do the talking."

Jack gives her a reassuring smile, and she can't help but feel as butterflies take control of her stomach. At this point, Sam decides she will be blaming everything she is not comfortable with on the pregnancy, that worries aside, she is finally accepting as happening.

Together they make the way to level twenty-seven in silence. She feels the knot in her stomach getting tighter as they approach the gray door of Hammond's office.

"The worst thing that can happen, Carter, is him saying no," Jack reassures her before he knocks the door. "And we hope the Asgards come visit before the Tok'ra do. I'm sure you'll won't want to explain this to dad, without first knowing how it happened." He says, and she flinches.

"Enter," Hammond's voice booms from the inside. Jack opens the door slightly. "Ah, Colonel, what can I do for you?"

"Sir," Jack says, entering the room, pulling Sam inside behind him.

"Major Carter," the General's voice sounds stern and, at the same time, softer.

"Sir, we need to call the Asgard," Jack says without further ado. Hammond's eyebrows raise surprised at this statement.

"And why would we need to do that, Colonel?" Hammonds eyes him. Jack looks at Sam, and she lowers her head blushing. Jack knows she is ashamed of the conversation that needs to happen. He takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Carter. I really think we should," Jack says before he looks at Hammond. "Sir, this will be awkward."

"God, please tell me you aren't responsible for this situation, Colonel!" Hammond glares. He thinks Jack's a great man, the perfect guy for Sam, but rules and regulations must be followed. The General believes they might have gotten a waiver if they came forward before this happened.

"No, sir," Jack answers, barely holding the 'I wish' that threatened to get out.

"Then?"

"Sir, I spoke with Carter yesterday. She has no recollection of how her current situation happened. Since we've seen a lot of weird things before, I won't be surprised if someone just did this to her without her knowledge. I mean, it's Carter, sir! Everyone knows by now what a genius she is. I might piss off a lot of people, but her mind is worth a thousand times more than mine out there or anywhere!"

Hammond sees the point on it, he understands it perfectly. Heck, a young Jack O'Neill is wandering out on Earth. There are clones of SG-1 that are traipsing the universe. There had been alternate realities, a visit to the past, and he wasn't going to dwell on the several deaths and rebirths he's seen so far. So, the idea Jack was presenting doesn't sound so outrageous as it could in any other command.

"Come on, sir! It isn't really so far-fetched, is it? I mean, there was even an ascended being living at her house for a while!"

"Okay," Hammonds says.

"Then there's the Tollan, and those guys can walk through walls. Don't you think they could get enough tech to manage to do it without…" Jack stops his tirade as Hammond's hand raises. The General tries to keep an amused smile from showing up, seeing how vocal the Colonel could get when one Samantha Carter was involved.

"I said okay, Colonel. Take SG-1 and contact the Asgard. Major Carter, even if there's something we don't understand with the child you are carrying unless you decide to get an abortion, you still are out of the front lines. You can't gate travel unless the CMO agrees with it."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Major, the President, and JCS have agreed on my course of action. They will be sending the paperwork today to make your position permanent. They also agree that you should report directly to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, go. Call the Asgard and figure how all this happened."

"Yes, sir!" They both answer before they go out.

It's a couple of hours later when the base alarms go off, and Sam hopes it is Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c. She rushes to the embarkation room, wondering when she has started calling Colonel O'Neill ' Jack'. She arrives as the alarms are turned off, and the embarkation room door opens.

"We delivered our message, Major Carter," Teal'c says.

"Now, all we can do is we wait," Jack adds.

"Actually, sir, now you go to the infirmary to get checked," Sam grins. She follows them to the infirmary. Before they reach it, Daniel slows down and makes her stay behind.

"Sam, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I treated you yesterday," he starts, and before she can avoid it, tears are rolling down her cheek. "I was shocked. I know that's no excuse. Not for me to have forgotten that, if anything, you are the one carrying a child. Or how you would feel about being off the team. So, if you want to keep it, count on me for help whenever you need it. If you need anything, I'm here for you." He finishes in earnest, and the next thing he knows is that his friend is hugging him, crying on his shoulders. He is at a loss as to what to do.

"I'm sorry," she says after a while, her nose red and her eyes teary. "I don't know what came over to me," she apologizes.

"No issues, Sam. I'm serious. I'm here even if the one thing you need is a shoulder to cry on. Please don't cry again," he adds quickly when she sniffles once more.

"Go get yourself checked, Daniel. I'm going to make a pitstop in the bathroom to fix the mess I made of myself," she smiles. "Thank you, Daniel. You have no idea how much your support means to me."

She watches him go and smiles. Sam knows, even if he hasn't said so, that Jack spoke with their teammates. She wonders if Teal'c also fell prey to the Colonel's words. Still, even if she expects some sort of apology now that they know the truth (or lack of information) behind the situation, Daniel's words made her tear up and feel all fluffy inside. She shakes her head, 'this pregnancy might just be the death of me,' she thinks, but before she can hide to regroup inside the safety of the bathroom. Teal'c joins her on the corridor.

"Major Carter," Teal'c says, his grave voice booming through the empty corridor.

"Teal'c."

"I want to congratulate you on your offspring. I know a child will bring you joy. You will be the loving parent, as I know you surely can be," he says. Teal'c is not surprised when she hugs him tightly, and his shoulder feels wet. He was around when Drey'auc was pregnant. Teal'c knew all about mood swings related to carrying a child.

"Major Carter, even if your child was not conceived in a normal way, I will be most pleased to help you tend to him if you so desire. I apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was most displeased to learn you were out of SG-1 and had not considered how it would affect you."

"Thank you, Teal'c. I appreciate it," she says, and he nods before he ushers her towards the infirmary. He knows where her affections truly lay. He is not surprised when he hears her speaking cheerily to Colonel O'Neill.

'Maybe now, they will have their chance,' he thinks before he leaves towards the locker room.

Inside the infirmary, Jack is being Jack. He's complaining about needles, lights, and even about how cold the infirmary is compared to the rest of the base. Besides him, Sam chuckles, she knows it's an act because he loves to annoy Janet. To Janet, his constant banter about how much of a Napoleonic power monger she is, it's nothing but fun. 'It helps the people in the infirmary to feel comfortable around the Colonel, Sam. It's not easy to treat someone who outranks you and can have your career ended if you do something wrong,' Janet had explained to Sam once.

It's the sight of blood being drawn from the Colonel's arm what sends Sam rushing to the bathroom once more. She was never queasy about blood before; she considers as she loses her lunch. She opens the door minutes later to find Janet standing next to the door, a worried frown in her face.

"Are you okay?" the doctor asks, and Sam can read the sincere concern in her eyes.

"Not really," Sam grimaces. "If it's really a pregnancy, I can't wait until this throwing up part ends up."

"I'm sorry," Janet says. She doesn't explain what she is sorry for, but Sam doesn't need her to, she knows it's a general sorry that includes the range of things that happened the previous day.

"This possibility never crossed my mind," she sighs. "You would be the first I would have come searching for if I had known, Janet."

"I know, still… I'm sorry." They look at each other for a moment, and they exchange a nod. Then, Sam notices there's no one else there. "Ah, Colonel O'Neill said he needed to get to the briefing room. But he asked me to tell you the Asgard said they will be sending someone asap."

**Orilla**

**Weeks earlier.**

"What you propose to do, it's unheard of, Loki."

"Isn't 'unheard of' precisely what we need, Freyja?

"Indeed, but there's too much at risk."

"We are talking about the future of the Asgard! Besides, it will only be a couple of hours. Then it will be done."

"I need to abduct her, verify there are no womb issues, and heal them if they do exist."

"Nothing you haven't done before."


	5. So, are we good?

With all that had happened in the past few days, Sam doesn't even realize it's already Friday until someone rings her house bell. Frowning in confusion, she checks her calendar. It tells her she isn't expecting anyone (not that it surprises her).

She notices then, a missing call from Mark. She loves her brother dearly, but she sure hopes that call isn't one to let her know he's the one standing outside her door. Sam knows by the way her hormones are behaving that he wouldn't leave Colorado without finding out about her pregnancy. She wants to avoid another altercation because of the lack of a father. She knows she wouldn't discuss her sex life or lack thereof with Mark, no matter how much she loved him. She's wondering if she could tuck it under the 'it's classified' rug, when the bell goes off again, bringing her out of her reverie.

"I'm coming!" she shouts as she walks to it. Taking a deep breath, she looks through the peephole. Finding no one outside, she frowns. Years of training ingrained in her brain make her wary of the situation. She opens the door slightly only to see Janet standing there with a heavy bag filled with what looks like several boxes of different beverages.

"Janet? What are you doing here?"

"I was an ass. I thought we could have a girl's night in so I could support you as I should have," Janet offers, and then she grins hopefully, "I brought you several juices and ginger ale," Sam chuckles at that. "I thought I should start supporting by bringing something you can also drink."

"Come on in, Janet," Sam says, getting out of the way while picking the heavy back from her friend. "You didn't have to bring anything. You know that, right?" She grins as they walk towards her kitchen.

"I felt like a should, a peace offering of sorts," Janet shrugs. Sam stops dead in her tracks and turns around to watch her.

"You already apologized, Janet," Sam says, "and I've accepted your apology."

She holds Janet's gaze for a while before Janet moves to pick a bottle of apple juice and turns around to find some glasses. Sam shakes her head and places the extra bottles inside the fridge to give Janet some time to collect herself.

"I know, still…" she says with her back turned to Sam because she can't hold her friend's gaze for long. She knows she can't hide like that forever, so she turns around and sees a serious Sam looking at her.

"You shouldn't beat yourself over it, Janet."

"Back porch?" Janet asks, trying to change the subject. She notices as Sam's expression flickers for a second before its back to the neutral one she saw before. Janet doesn't know Sam's mind was reliving the previous night when Jack sat so close to her while offering her his support (and so much more she doesn't dare to dwell on).

"Living room?" Sam offers, Janet nods.

"I took the liberty of calling your pizza parlor. It should be here soon." Janet comments as they walk to the living room, glasses in hand.

"Thanks. Where's Cassie?"

"On a date," Janet sighs. "They grow so fast," she mutters before she catches what she had just said. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" Sam's hand stops her.

"Janet, you need to let it go. You can't walk on eggshells around me because of one mistake. Especially when I get it."

"You get it?"

"Yeah," she nods. "As I've said to Ja…Colonel O'Neill, there was no report of weird shit happening in any of our recent missions. Moreover, they were all quite boring. I didn't report an assault or anything strange happening to me. So, it makes sense everyone just defaulted to classic pregnancy methods. And honestly, I was too shocked about it even to process it. I'm barely starting to accept it, let alone believe it!"

"That bad, huh?" Janet offers and wants to facepalm herself for it, but Sam chuckles.

"Yeah, you saw me, it rendered me speechless. I was almost unable to articulate a whole phrase. God," Sam sighs. "There were so many things going on in my head! They still are, but I simply couldn't control my mind then. I never felt so … torn."

"I'm sorry, Sam. Pregnancies shouldn't cause you this amount of pain," Janet says sympathetically. "You know there are options, right?"

"I know, but risking what could be my one chance?"

"Yeah, but let's face it, Sam. You don't know how it happened, and you don't know if it's human." Sam snorts.

"Holy Hannah, I have had so many thoughts about how a hybrid baby would look like that's scary. My mind isn't a nice place at the moment."

"I bet! This pregnancy was just sprung on you. You'll need an adaptation period. Once you are further along, we can do some tests and check the DNA. I'm sure that will make you feel somewhat at ease. That's if the Asgard don't show up sooner." The bell rings then, and Janet stands to answer it.

"I'll get it. It's probably the pizza I've ordered," Janet says, walking to the front door. When she returns to the living room, Sam is pouring more juice into their glasses and smiles at her. "I hope this doesn't upset your stomach," Janet says, lowering the box on the coffee table.

"I hope the same, I'm starving," Sam confesses.

"Have you thought about contacting the Tok'ra? I bet they can give us some extra info about the baby's condition," Janet says as she picks a slide.

"God, no!" Sam shouts. Janet turns to her with a surprised expression, a bit of cheese still hanging from her lips. "I can't imagine having to explain to my dad that I'm pregnant, and I don't know how it happened. If I have any say in it, I'll want that postponed as much as I possibly can."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah," Sam grimaces before she takes a bite. "I really should've thanked you for letting the guys know even when I wasn't reacting to the news," she adds after a while.

"I tried to warn you about what the results were, but you wanted them to know right there with you," Janet sighs.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was expecting you to say something like 'you are anemic again' or 'you have a mild infection, nothing that some antibiotics won't fix.' Really, I should've noticed you didn't want to break that news in front of them." She rubs her face tiredly.

"God! You even warned me about Doctor-patient confidentiality, for crying out loud! Truth is it was so out of the left-field that I couldn't imagine you would say 'the test shows you are, uh, pregnant,'" Sam says, imitating the uncomfortable way Janet let that out, adding the looking over her shoulders as her friend had done to check on the guys that day. Janet laughs at her impression.

"I should've just usher them out before I told you. Then, stop and listen to you."

"It's not a big deal, Janet. They were bound to find out at some point, too," Sam shrugs. "Like how the entire base will."

"Once the Colonel shook some sense into us, I realized I had royally screwed up with you. I didn't pay attention to the way you just agreed with everything without complaining. That should've been a huge giveaway! I mean, I expected you to complain or at least ask to postpone the announcement to the General. You didn't. You simply accepted it, and my idea of just announcing it in front of your whole damn team!"

"You think it would make any difference if it were just Hammond, and you? I mean, two out of three members of my team already knew the results," she shrugs. "And, trust me, Teal'c would've noticed I wasn't joining them on their next mission."

"It would, Sam, a huge one. See, I never gave you privacy, you were shocked, and I chalked it up to the hormones as if I don't know you at all. As if we never talked about children, and how unfair it always seemed when one of us got pregnant."

"As I've said, I understand you all defaulted to plain old sex. I know, I racked my brain, trying to figure it out. I wondered if, at some point, I was drunk enough to forget a one night, one stand, or remember being sore after waking up that had no explanation. There was nothing," she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What about your brother?" Janet asks out of the blue.

"Ugh, I need to tell him, but I will wait until we know more about it. I'm sure if it is a half-alien baby, I will need a cover-up, and if it's not, I will need to have an explanation ready." She sighs and takes a sip of her juice. "Right now, I wish this could be a nice wine or better, some whiskey."

"I bet," Janet chuckles. They fall silent as they eat, and Janet is surprised to see her friend finishing three slides.

"So, Colonel O'Neill got to you too, huh?" Sam asks a knowing smile on her face.

"Don't remind me! I forgot how scary the man could be when he wants to," Janet shudders. Sam frowns, confused by the comment. "It's not like we didn't deserve it. Everything he said was right. We all behaved as you betrayed us. We all didn't listen to what you were trying to say. We should've noticed right then that something wasn't right!"

"I'd like to forget all about that day. It was bad, just like it's bad to keep kicking ourselves for how things went down." Janet nods in agreement before a mischievous smile appears on her face.

"So, the Colonel was here…" she trails. Sam can't help the blush that spread on her face.

"Yeah, Ja… Colonel O'Neill was here." Sam says, shaking her head because Janet is grinning like mad.

"This is the third time you almost slip and call him Jack."

"I know! It's…" Sam huffs. "He was so damn nice, Janet. He offered to be there for me, and I kinda blurted out that I didn't have a baby daddy. He offered to be the father and to kill my baby daddy if I wanted him to."

"That sounds like him."

"Yeah. God, I'm in so deep for that man!" Besides her, Janet chuckles. "It's not funny."

"I know, I'm sorry. There's a silver lining about this."

"I'm pretty sure besides having a child, I do not see any," Sam sighs.

"You and Jack," she says in a mocking tone, "aren't in the same chain of command anymore. I heard you got the official papers this afternoon." Sam rolls her eyes at her.

"Right. It's just my luck that we aren't on the same chain for the first time since we met, and I'm pregnant."

"He offered to be your baby daddy," Janet points out.

"I can't do that to him, Janet," Sam sighs. "He's a hell of a good man to be brought to the chaos my life has become in just the last few days."

"You wouldn't be forcing him to accept anything, Sam. He knows the situation, and he still offered."

"I'm sure he would've offered if it was you too, Janet. That's who he is." It was Janet's turn to sigh.

"Listen to me, Sam. You have been pinning over him for as long as I can remember. So, if he comes to you, willingly, knowing the situation doesn't look good from the outside. And still wants to be something more than CO and 2IC, you better take him. As you've said, he is too good of a man. But beyond that, I was there when you both confessed 'caring about each other,' now you have the chance. I can tell you how hard it is to find love, Sam. You found it. It was locked for you because of regulations, now that rules are out of the way… you better take it, you better take him; otherwise, I know you'll regret it later."

"If he comes to me, then I'll think about it." Janet shakes her head.

"Damn it, Sam!" Janet sighs tiredly. "I know Jack O'Neill isn't one to fall victim to peer pressure, but I'm sure Daniel and Teal'c will push him to you. So, when that day comes, no matter how far along or fat, you think you are… promise me you will tell him about your fear of being abusing his trust. I'm sure he will quick to reassure you it's nothing of the kind." Sam takes a deep breath and considers what Janet is subjecting doesn't sound as crazy before she nods.

"Okay. Now, if I recall correctly, I'm missing an update from your last hot date."

"Oh, god. Don't let me start on it!" Janet grimaces.

"Well, I could offer you a nice wine. I can't drink it, and my fridge currently holds way more bottles of drinks that I could consume in a week. So, I'm all ears."

"We are stuck with apple juice, then," Janet says and starts to tell her about her last date. Half-way through her story, Cassie calls to let her know she was home and going to bed. A short discussion about how Cassie was sure she didn't need a babysitter later, Janet hung the phone and continued talking to Sam.

Before they noticed, it was already 1 am. Sam's yawning had become almost constant. Janet smiles at her friend and pats her knee.

"I should get going, and you should get some sleep," she says, standing up.

"Does this tiredness ever end?"

"Well, medically, it should once your body gets used to your pregnancy. Now, practically, I haven't had the chance of being pregnant before, but I've talked with many mothers, and they've said once they started feeling the tiredness, it never stopped. At least, not until 18 years later."

"Ugh, you are supposed to be my friend and tell me nice things," Sam fakes scowls at her as they reach her front door. Janet laughs at the expression.

"Call me if you need anything, Sam. I behaved like an ass before, but I want nothing more than your happiness."

"I know, Janet."

"So, are we good?" Janet asks, suckling her lower lip nervously.

"Yes. Thank you for this, Janet. I needed it. I needed my best friend."

"I'm sorry I was an ass."

"We can't always be perfect, Janet. We are only human."

"It's funny. I thought you would need some comforting, and it turns out half of the night you were the one comforting me."

"Life is funny sometimes. Take care, Janet. Drive safely and hug Cassie for me."

Sam waits until Janet is in her car and driving away, to close the door. She sighs happily. She's exhausted, but it was a good night.

Orilla

Weeks earlier

"How do you know she is the one, Loki?" Freyja asked, her eyes blinking once.

"She survived a Goa'uld symbiote," he explained.

"Ah, but that's not so rare. There are hundreds of humans out there that have been saved from the Goa'uld. That was one of Thor's gifts, remember?"

"I know all about Thor's gifts, Freyja. Yet, that's exactly the reason why she must be the one. She survived a Goa'uld without anyone's help."

"What do you mean?"

"The symbiote died within her out of natural causes."

"That's… that's unheard of." Freyja said as she paced the corridor in front of Loki's containment room.

"And the male that you chose?"

"What about him?"

"Why did you choose him?"

"Ah, the male … we better leave him for the next meeting, Freyja. I'm afraid if you stay longer than you usually do, someone would think you are plotting to free me."

"Everyone knows I'm here to learn about your experiments, Loki," she said, but he turned his back to her. "Very well then, I'll be here tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With all the craziness we are experiencing in the outside world, I hope you are all taking care of yourselves.


	6. I know the statistics, Sam.

Sam can't remember the last time she spent a whole Saturday morning just lazing around. She doesn't even know if she has ever woken up past 7 am before in her entire life. When she opened her eyes that morning, the sun was shining brightly through partially open curtains, and the clock on her bedside table said it was already 11:45 am.

Sam groans. She had stuff to do this morning that now she would have to squish together during the afternoon. Rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes, she notices that at least she is feeling refreshed and energetic this morning.

She gets up, securing her robe with a loose knot around her waist. Walking into the kitchen, scrunching up her nose, she sets out the decaf coffee. The taste is worse than it really should be. She's been trying different brands of decaf coffee and tea and has simply decided that if she ever ends up liking it... It would be an acquired taste.

After turning the machine on, she walks to the bathroom to start her day. Once she's out of the shower, she can't help but let her towel fall as she searches her body for any changes. There's none. She knows it's too soon. She also knows that once she starts showing, she will finally believe it's happening. Shaking herself out of imaginary situations that include a certain handsome USAF Colonel. She dresses and goes to make herself some brunch that she hopes she will be able to keep.

Soon, she is parking at her favorite supermarket: the one that has the best canned and frozen foods. Only to realize she doesn't need them anymore, now that she's stuck earthbound for the upcoming months.

"More changes," she sighs before she heads into the store.

When she gets back home, Sam notices she's not only tired, but it took her a lot longer to get what she needed—having to stop herself from buying things that would go straight to her freezer or pantry. Her fridge is now filled with fresh fruits and vegetables along with healthy food she will need to cook. The remaining beverages Janet brought last night also add to the fullness of the appliance.

Once she's finished, Sam checks the clock and decides it's time for a book. She walks into her office and picks one she had bought but hadn't yet time to read. She makes herself comfortable in the little reading nook she made for herself and starts to read.

The next thing she knows is there's a shrill noise waking her up. The house is dark, and the outside world seems equally dark. She rubs her face, shaking her head as she stands up. The noise was her cellphone; she reckons. Patting herself down, she remembers leaving the thing somewhere on the kitchen counter.

The device states a missing call from 'Little Carter,' and with a sigh, she hits the callback button. He had already called the previous day and hadn't got an answer. So she must call him back before he thinks there's something wrong (again).

"Hello?" Mark says on the other end, and Sam grins.

"Hey, little brother," Sam says, knowing it annoys him to no end.

"Four minutes, and I don't know why I even bother," he huffs, making her laugh. "I called yesterday to check up on you, but you didn't answer. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I was…"

'Dwelling on my pregnancy before Janet showed up,' she thinks. "kinda busy and didn't hear the phone. When I noticed it, it was already too late."

"Well, I'm glad you called back."

"Yeah… everything okay on your side?" Sam asks.

She loves her twin brother, dearly. Even though they are working towards a better relationship, it's still an awkward one. He still hates the USAF, and Sam is still a USAF officer. He wants her to settle down, find love, get married, have a family, retire to the private sector. While she wants to have the love and the family, what she desperately wants is also that she can't have, because it's her CO she wants. Along with being able to keep going through the gate, saving the world and people all around the galaxies. She sighs.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Mark questions before he answers her.

"Yeah. I'm just a bit tired. I might be coming down with something." Sam lies easily to him. Her mind is more concerned with the fantasy of sharing her life and family with Jack, dreaming that the child she is carrying is his and that he wants to be hers for a lifetime.

"Everything is okay in my side," Mark answer, "Listen, Linda's…"

"It will be so perfect," she whispers.

"Really? No last-minute missions that could mess up those plans?" Marks says. Sam realizes she doesn't know what he is talking about. "Sam?"

"Sorry, I zoned out."

"But you will be here for Linda's birthday?"

"I'll try, Mark." She says, cringing at the idea. She still won't be showing, so she could get away with it, but only if only her morning sickness and weird cravings don't give her away.

"That sounds more like you," he huffs. Sam knows there's an upcoming rant coming her way, but she's saved by the bell, it seems.

"Give me a sec. Someone's at my door."

"You are expecting someone?"

"No, not really. Let me check who it is, and if it's just someone selling something, we can continue."

"Sure." She can almost hear him rolling his eyes.

She ignores her need to explain herself to him as she walks towards the door. She checks the peephole to find Daniel and Teal'c on the other side. "Weird, we didn't schedule a team night for this week," she mutters.

"Mark, I have to go. My team is here for our monthly team night. Can I take a raincheck on Linda's birthday party?"

"Sure, why not? It is not like we don't do that every year." He sighs. "I'm glad you are okay. Call me when you know."

"I will. Thanks, Mark. Bye," she says as she opens her door. "Guys? What are you doing here?"

"Apologizing," Teal'c answers after a while, noticing Daniel had only managed to open and close his mouth several times. Sam frowns and wonders if there would be another visit tomorrow or if these meetings will be happening all the time from now on.

"But you already apologized," she says, moving out of the way and allowing them in.

"Indeed. Daniel Jackson insisted we should do it again, this time bringing food," Teal'c says, showing her six boxes of donuts. She chuckles.

"I know my diet has been weird lately but isn't six boxes a bit too much?" Teal'c lowers them on the living room table, opening one of them. He observes her hoping the smell won't send her off to the bathroom as he had seen most meals do lately.

"Two boxes are for me, Major Carter." Teal'c bows his head, following her lead and taking a seat. "But, I will help you with them if you need assistance after I finish mine." That conversation earns them both a glare from Daniel.

"You couldn't decide, Daniel?" she smiles softly, and he sighs.

"Yeah. Am I that predictable?"

"For this, yes. Really, you already apologized. You shouldn't have …"

"We should. I should." Daniel corrects, rolling his eyes. "Shit, Sam! How childish can I be?"

"As childish as you want, Daniel. If there's something I admire about you, it's the way that after all the horrors we've witnessed, you haven't lost your faith in humanity. You have toughened up, but you haven't lost your naivety." Beside her, Teal'c agrees with a nod.

"What good does that do if I can't realize my own friend is suffering and help her through it?" Daniel says, collapsing on the couch and pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sam places a hand on his knee and smiles. She finds funny that it seems she's the one having to support them While she is the one that's dealing with the brunt of the change. Teal'c bows, grabbing his two boxes of donuts, he heads for her kitchen to get some tea to accompany his food.

Sam knows he is doing it to give them space to talk. The same space that Daniel was scared to share with her.

"You didn't need to bring Teal'c along, Daniel. You should know, I would never push you to say anything you don't want to." That makes it even harder on him; he pushes his glasses up his nose and nods once.

"Only more proof that after seven years of friendship, I suck as a friend."

"No, Daniel. You don't. Don't do this to yourself."

"But."

"Daniel, do you know why I was so shocked?"

"Because you are pregnant, and you don't know how it happened?" He offers.

"Right, but you didn't learn that from me." He shakes his head. "That afternoon, the only thing I managed to get out was 'I hadn't had sex.' Trust me, looking back, I'm surprised you guys didn't assume I was," she scrunched her nose up in disgust, "assaulted and just didn't say anything about it."

"But we didn't even get to that conclusion, Sam!"

"Yeah," she smiles sadly. "I guess you all trust in me enough to hope I will tell you when something as life-shattering as an assault or having found someone to date happens. But then again, there was nothing that could point to being something that happened off-world. I'm sure we would've remembered to add it to our reports. I didn't mention seeing someone nor being assaulted. So, it makes sense you all thought it was just a plain old accident. That maybe I'd had a one night stand and wasn't careful. Those happen all the time, right? Even when we use precautions, nothing is 100% safe."

"I know the statistics, Sam." He rolls his eyes at her. She grins.

"Now, explain something to me, Daniel. If I, who had all the internal info about how it couldn't have happened, had issues dealing with it. How can I hope that you won't?"

"Because I'm your friend damn it! I'm supposed to be a shoulder to cry on; I'm supposed to be there to listen to you. I'm not supposed to be that quick to judge you."

"It's done, Daniel. I have forgiven you, for real. I understand what it must have looked like, and I know I felt I betrayed… him. So, trust me, I get it. Now, we need to move on, you guys need to come to terms with what happened, and you need to forgive yourself for that. Can you do that?"

"I don't know, but I can try."

"So, you think we can have those donuts now? Or should I check on Teal'c to see if he too needs some counseling?" She jokes.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." He rolls his eyes at her. "Sam? You think he isn't struggling with what happened?"

"No. Teal'c isn't, Daniel. He knows I've forgiven him, and I know he has my back; that's all we need to move on. Now, I'm not a shrink, but I believe your and Janet's way to deal with this, your need to talk to me asking for forgiveness more than once, has more to do with your upbringing. You guys are too alike. I always wondered why you two haven't tried being a couple."

"I…," he blushes.

"Maybe you have a thing for aliens." She says, laughing as she walks to the kitchen to find Teal'c.

"That's mean…" Daniel shouts, making her laugh.

"You are safe," she announces to Teal'c, who has already depleted his two donut boxes, and it's sipping his tea quietly. He smiles at her.

"If there's something that always surprised me about females," he starts. "It's their natural ability to reassure anyone out about any situation. Even when the ones suffering the most are themselves." She smiles at him. "I trust you've managed to solve Daniel Jackson's awkwardness related to the events surrounding the day we learned of your pregnancy."

"Yup, all solved. Wanna come down to the living room? He didn't give me much time to go through the food offerings he brought, and it seems we gave you plenty of time to go through yours." She smiles, and the jaffa nods.

"Hey, Sam…" Daniel trails as he joins them in the kitchen. "Since Teal'c and I are already here, what do you think about making a team night out of tonight?"

"I wouldn't mind, Daniel. But I don't have any movies for us."

"That's not an issue. I'll call Jack to ask him to pick one up on his way here. You can call Janet to see if she and Cassie want to join us."

"Sounds way better than my plans for tonight, Daniel. Let's do it."

An hour later, her living room is filled with her friends, and she can't help the smile that blossoms on her face as they sit watching Alien, of all the movies Jack could've picked. The room is dark to make the proper ambiance, and the people she loves are comfortable either sitting or sprawled in different positions.

Cassie and Teal'c, mesmerized by the strange-looking creature, take most of the floor. Their eyes are wide as they munch from the bowls of popcorn, they had claimed for themselves.

Daniel and Janet had claimed the loveseat, and Sam can't help to shake her head, amused. Despite Daniel's reluctance to do anything that could ruin his friendship with Janet, they are cuddled up together closer than 'just-friends' would be. One of his hands is caressing her hair softly, while his other arm curls possessively around her waist, and her hand is linked tightly with his.

"What?" Jack's voice in her ear sends shivers down her spine. She tries to control the goosebumps that it awakens but fails. He notices, "Are you cold?"

They're sitting together on the couch, and she recalled it having plenty of space between them before. Sam was sitting on one end, with her legs tucked under her. She doesn't know how or when he moved, but Jack now sits closely beside her with one leg tucked under him and the other on the floor.

"No," she shakes her head and nods towards Janet and Daniel. "They're cute," she whispers.

"I know, I wonder when the space-monkey will get his head out of the sand." He says to her ear. The shivers appear again. "Come here," he says, moving to grab the afghan that's draped over her couch. Jack helps her lay on her side. He places her head on his lap, and then he covers her with the afghan. She can't help but sigh. His callous fingers move softly through her hair, caressing it almost imperceptibly. The effect is calming, and soon she finds her eyes drifting close.

The next thing Sam knows is that bright light filtering into her room from the window. She shakes her head with a bright smile, knowing the effort that it must have taken to bring her into her room. Getting up to start her morning routine, she spots the envelope hanging from her fridge.

"Carter," it reads with Jack's handwriting. "I believe this is the first time you fell asleep on us! I was afraid I might drop you, so Teal'c took you to your room. Janet showed him the way. So, Daniel, Cass, and I cleaned up. I'm sorry, I couldn't keep Cassie from snapping a picture of you sleeping, I told you, you shouldn't have gotten her that phone! Call me if you need anything, Carter. And I really mean anything.

J."

Sam presses the note to her chest, feeling like a teen that has just gotten a valentine's card from their crush. She laughs at her silliness, and finally sets into starting her coffee for the day. All worries about the possibility of losing her friends over this pregnancy washed away with last night's events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give a huge thank you to loverustal for speeding up through fixing my grammar! (She writes awesome fics too btw)


	7. Cravings, Daniel.

Two weeks later, Sam finds herself pacing inside the control room. She hopes that the wormhole will lock, and the screen will show SG-1 IDC as scheduled. She is pleasantly surprised when the scheduled wormhole does engage, and SG-1 IDC blinks on the screen.

"Open the iris," she smiles at the airman before she leaves, almost skipping to the embarkation room. Hammond reaches the control room the moment she's out of the door. The General smiles. He knows she is getting acquainted with the idea of her pregnancy, but he also knows that Samantha Carter was made for the front lines, and she's missing it terribly.

Well, more than missing it. In the past few weeks, George Hammond has also found out that a pregnant Samantha Carter has peaks. Sam goes from over-energetic, throwing him file after file of half indecipherable technobabble. Only to get a low where not even the base alarms seem able to faze her. He thinks it's endearing. But he also knows, if she keeps doing it, they will need to clarify the reason for her forced leave of SG-1 to the SGC personnel.

For now, the excuse is 'there's no point on keep bringing technology if no one is assigned to see what it does.' It fits, he thinks, while it gives her time to cope and hopefully, to find out what the hell happened before she must announce it to everyone interested (and that'd be the whole base.)

Hammond looks down at the embarkation room, where she is around her former team and can't help a smile. "Welcome back, SG-1. Since my embarkation room looks clean, I'll take there were no issues. Go to the infirmary and report back for debriefing," he says, using the mic and shakes his head as they disappear out of the embarkation room chattering loudly.

"Carter, any word on the Asgard?" Jack asks as they walk to the infirmary.

"They called to let us know they were on their way when something else happened, sir. They needed to return to Orilla. Thor said it might be another couple of Earth weeks before they can get here," she grimaces.

"I'm sorry, Carter. At least it is some news, right?"

"I guess…"

Daniel looks pointedly at him. Sam doesn't know what transpired on the last mission of theirs, and if there's nothing technological involved, she most likely won't know either. She had experienced feeling left out before, but it's the first time she feels like that around her former team and friends. Sam observes them closely. Her guys seem to be in one piece, and she finds that comforting.

"Something wrong?" She asks, anyway.

"Uh, nope. We found rocks," Daniel grins and blushes. A giveaway that he is hiding something.

"Tons of rocks," Jack says, rolling his eyes. Daniel clears his throat, and then he walks faster, grabbing Teal'c as he goes.

"He is so subtle," Sam grins.

"I know, right?" He looks at her, and she sees the concern before he even has a chance to express it.

"I'm okay, sir. Feeling tired and energetic at weird moments, feeling hunger, and then, when I reach the commissary, I lose my appetite. I still visit the porcelain god as much as the last time you checked up on me. I can't smell coffee yet, and for some reason, I'm craving red-jello."

"It's because it's so much better," Jack grins before he blushes as he comes to a stop. Sam frowns. "But that's not what Daniel wanted me to ask."

"Then, what is it, sir?"

"Ah… well, our space monkey figured we aren't on a direct chain of command anymore," Jack whispers and shifts his weight from his heels to the ball of his feet, he looks around to find empty corridors. He feels utterly awkward. It had been a long time since he'd wanted to invite a girl to date. He can't remember having invited one that he liked as much as he loves his Carter.

"Yes?" she blushes under his gaze. This conversation bringing to memory the one she had with Janet a few weeks earlier. Still, she doesn't allow herself to hope for what she shouldn't be hoping for, butterflies on her stomach notwithstanding.

"I was wondering," he takes a breath, here goes nothing, he thinks, "if you would like to go out somewhere?"

"Sir?" she blinks.

"It's okay, Carter. You don't have to feel compelled to say yes if you don't want to go."

"I would love to, uh, sir," she interrupts him awkwardly. Sam looks at him and then considers the situation and laughs, "How is it possible that two very self-confident people can be this awkward?"

"Beats me, Carter," he huffs.

"Call me tonight? You can leave the Colonel on base, and I'll do the same with the Major?" She offers, and he doubts. Jack knows her phone number by heart, but he isn't sure he is ready to be someone else but Colonel O'Neill around her. He nods anyway. He'll do anything for her, that's for sure.

"I need to get my ass to the infirmary now, Carter. Before they decide to pull out the big needles on me!"

She watches him go with a bright smile on her face. Her stomach then announces her that she is starving, and that smiles accompany her up to the commissary. The smell of chicken manages to bother her stomach and takes away her appetite. Sighing, she turns around, and she is about to walk away as fast as she can without it been seen like running. When the PA system announces: "Major Carter to the briefing room," she grins. 'Saved by the PA,' she thinks and runs.

"Carter, here you are!" Jack claps his hands once she enters the room.

"Sorry, sir. I didn't know I was needed here until …" she waves in the air, and he nods.

"You aren't, Major. SG-1 said they wouldn't start this debriefing without you here. If it's bothering any of your experiments, you can go back to your lab," Hammonds offers.

"I was about to eat, sir," she grins. "So, no experiment other than the joy of the getting sick by smell roulette."

"Perhaps, it will be wise if you remain in your lab, and someone could bring your food down, Major Carter," Teal'c says, tilting his head.

"Maybe that way, you actually manage to keep something down, Sam." Daniel points and she blushes.

"I'm quite sure we aren't here to discuss my battles with food," she says, a pointed look on her face.

"No, Major, we aren't. But both Teal'c and Doctor Jackson have a compelling point," Hammond says. "Now, Colonel, can we finally start that debriefing of yours?"

The meeting goes fast, mostly because they have nothing to report, even when they take their sweet time explaining everything they've seen. By the way the guys look at her, Sam knows they are doing it for her sake. They are trying to make her feel part of the team, even if she isn't on it anymore.

Hammond observes them with a small grin. George knows what's going on. It's SG-1 way to show him that he can't keep them apart for long. He sure hopes he doesn't have to take Sam off the team permanently. If there's anyone he trusts to keep them safe, it's her. At the same time, if there is anyone Hammond trusts to keep her safe, it's Jack, and by extension, the other two members of SG-1. The General knows the way they protect each other is most likely the reason why they keep going to hell and returning to share the experience. He notices then that they are all staring at him, and he blinks.

"Anything else that I should know?" he asks.

"No, sir."

"Then, you are all dismissed. Oh, and Major, why don't you give it a try to that idea of Teal'c. I'm sure it would be helluva easier to stick to our version of why you are out of SG-1. If you don't keep rushing straight to the washroom every time you reach the mess hall." He adds that in a soft tone that makes her tear up.

"Yes, sir," she manages to answer, giving him a bright and teary smile.

"Come, Carter. I'll walk you to your lab, and Daniel can go fetch you a tea and a sandwich?" Jack said as they left the room.

"Peanut butter!" Sam grinned. "Oh, and lemon juice. Or lemons, I'll take either."

"Peanut butter and lemon?" Daniel asks, stopping baffled at the combination.

"And waffles?" she asks as she too comes to a stop next to him, a pleading smile on her face. Beside her, Jack outright laughs.

"You are definitively pregnant, Carter," Jack whispers and grins. He looks at the utterly confused and totally disgusted Daniel. "Cravings, Daniel. There's nothing you can do about'em, but feed'em. Huh," he frowns, remembering something. Besides them, Daniel huffs.

"Okay, you win! I'll charm my way into peanut butter, lemon juice, and waffles," he says, walking hurriedly ahead of them, shaking his head.

"And a strawberry milkshake!" Sam shouts.

"T, go grab something to eat. Once she finishes, I'll go." Teal'c nods. By the way Teal'c looks at her, and the way Jack is looking at him, Sam knows the Jaffa thinks something else will happen once they're alone. She can't help the blush that takes over her face, as her mind buys a one-way ticket to gutterland.

"What's 'huh'?" Sam asks once they are alone, strolling towards the elevator. She inquires mostly to sate her curiosity and try to take some control over her overexcited mind.

Sam can barely keep herself still as she waits for the conversation that will happen once they reach the safety of her lab.

"It's your cravings," he says as they enter the small space, and they find it empty.

"They are disgusting, I know," she sighs as she presses her lab floor. "The day you guys left, I went to the commissary searching for anchovies over chicken. I couldn't get it because someone was getting coffee right next to me. Janet says it's the way the body has to tell which nutrients you are lacking."

"And what does it mean when you crave cake?" Jack jokes, touching his flat stomach. Sam starts patting herself, ignoring him, then she groans.

"You think Daniel has his cell on him?"

"Probably not. Why?"

"Now, I also want a double fudge chocolate cake," she sighs in dismay as he chuckles.

The elevator doors open at level twenty-three. A Captain joins them, so they cut their talk short. They are all too happy when the doors finally open at level nineteen, and they can escape the tiny space.

"What I was going to say about your cravings," Jack starts as she swipes her card. The B-3 door slides open, "and I hope it doesn't bother you."

"I already agreed that they're disgusting. What else can you possibly say that might bother me? Uh, sir," she adds. They sit close together in benches beside a currently empty worktable.

"Sarah had those same cravings when she was pregnant," he grimaces. Her hand finds his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Those were good years. Too few, but great," Jack smiles sadly.

They sit in silence for a while. Sam takes her hand away from his only when she hears Daniel's footsteps approaching.

"Here we are, weird cravings for table 1," Daniel grins, lowering a tray over the worktable they had chosen. "Oh, there was a chocolate cake, so I brought you each a piece. I thought that since you are already eating weird stuff…"

"Oh my God, Daniel! Thank you!" she throws herself around his neck and embraces him tightly. Then she cries. Daniel is so confused that he only blinks. Trying to understand how happiness over cake can become a crying fit.

"Mood swings, they're lovely," Jack grins. "It seems, Carter, that you won the lottery of pregnancy symptoms." He points once she is cleaning her face with the back of her hand.

"I know! I hate it!" She pouts.

Teal'c joins them before she finishes, and before she realizes she's all alone again. She concentrates in the doohickey at hand until there's a knock on her door.

"Daniel," she smiles.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Pregnant," she grins. "I still wish I knew how it happened. What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I've come to check if you already left."

"Why?"

"Because it's already 1900, and you are still here."

"Oh, I should go then. Thanks, Daniel."

She types some more and saves her work before she rushes down to level twenty-five to get changed and grabs her wallet. Then she starts the long process of getting out of the SGC.

It takes her another forty-five minutes to ride back home, and when she finally parks her beloved Indian (the one she knows will need to stop using as her pregnancy goes further ahead). Her landline is ringing loudly in the silence of her home.

She rushes in, picks up the phone without checking the caller ID, and hopes it isn't a call from the base.

"Carter," she half barks.

"Samantha Carter?"

"Daniel?"

"Ah, I'm your coworker… from the SGC? I'm not sure you know me…" Daniel trails off.

"Stop playing, Daniel!" Jack's voice sounds muffled on the back.

"What's going on?" She hears Daniel chuckle and frowns.

"My friend thinks you are gorgeous…"

"Daniel, give that back now!"

"But isn't it true?"

"Stop it, Daniel, we are not teens!"

"But you are taking almost as long as if you were!"

"Hello?" she says as she hears some shuffling noises.

"Carter?"

"Sir?"

"I'm just dropping Daniel home."

"Bye, Sam!" Daniel shouts, and she can't help but smile when she hears, "Sam and Jack, sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s," followed by the slam of a car door.

"Sorry about that, Carter. I was dropping Daniel off and asked him to dial your number while I was parking. I guess it was a dumb idea."

"It's okay, sir." He clears his throat.

"You said I should call you when I left the Colonel on base, right?"

"Yes?"

"I want to let you know something, but I'm not sure if I would be able to say it while being in front of you. So... I thought I could... maybe... just let it out like this," he sighs. "Sam, I must confess that leaving the Colonel on-base... scares the shit out of me. But, for you, I'll leave that façade there. For you, I'll try to be just me, even if I don't like... me."

"Oh, God," she says, and he can hear she is crying. She wants to tell him so many things, but she can't voice them.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm driving toward your house. It's okay if I come by?"

"I haven't even showered yet," she whines.

"Then, go. Get your shower, and I'll let myself in when I get there. We can see about getting some take-out then?"

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes, I'm going to shower and wait for you, Jack." He doesn't answer too stunned by her words. "I … I mean, some getting dressed will be involved there too."

"God, you don't give an old man a heart attack, like that, Sam! I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, Jack."

**Orilla**

**Weeks earlier**

"It is done, Loki."

"You did it?"

"You said it was for the greater good and the salvation of the Asgard."

"It is. We only need to survive until then."

"I could accelerate it, Loki."

"No! You've accelerated it all you should, now we wait."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are in lockdown, and you know it, clap your hands! Lockdown day 20. Essential workers, thanks for the hard work we know you are putting all around the world!


	8. Why me?

Sam lowers the phone into its cradle and smiles. She goes to her room and starts getting rid of her clothes as she makes her way to the bathroom. Ogling her bathtub, Sam decides that even if there's at least half an hour's drive from Daniel's house to hers. She couldn't take a bath and hope she wouldn't fall asleep in it as she is prone to do it nowadays.

Showering vs. bathing becomes an easy decision when the latter can mean she would not get a chance to see the Colonel. Her Jack, in her living room, willing to talk about them, of all the possible subjects. She turns the water on hard and hot and allows it to distract her for a few moments. Soon his words are back 'leaving the Colonel on-base scares the shit out of me.' She understands his statement loud and clear… and it's really, really, close to home.

She understands him, and the fear of what leaving their work-personas at work could mean. They'd had a peek inside their walls when she ended up trapped behind that barrier, and more with the mind stamps. It's a scary thought to leave herself be just 'Sam.' Because being 'Sam,' it's not about a different personality or some weird split personality. Or any other psychological issue. It's about lowering her barriers enough so he can really get to know her, all of her.

She turns off the water, and as she walks out of the shower stall, she takes a towel to dry herself. While trying to figure out how dangerous could it be, having him there, she dresses quickly, realizing that she trusts him with her life out on the battlefield. She trusts his decisions and actions. Heck! She trusts him enough to have asked him to keep that little secret about caring for each other, locked in that Iso room. She knows not a word about it came out of his lips.

Sam decides that overthinking won't help her tonight. She strolls to the kitchen to find the fliers of the several take-outs restaurants available in her area. Stopping dead in her tracks when she sees him, already seated on her couch. He's looking to the outside as if that would help him find the answer to the world's issues.

"Sir?" she says, holding the need to facepalm herself. "That was quick."

"Quick? Oh, I know several shortcuts," he smiles. "I thought you wanted us to leave our 'ranks' back at the base, Sam."

She can't help the shiver that runs through her body. It's been seven years since they've met, and still, she can count with one hand the times he's called her Sam.

"I'm sorry," she smiles, "Jack." He looks at her with adoring eyes and returns a lopsided grin. "It's a reflex. I was going to pick the options for dinner, anything you want?" She says, pointing to the kitchen with her thumb. He stands up, a predatory look in his eyes that makes her feel butterflies the size of pterodactyls taking over her stomach.

"I have one particular option that I wouldn't mind trying," he says in a husky voice. If Sam's honest with herself, she is ready to drop her clothes right then and there. Then, his hand finds her face. "But we have time, and I don't want to hurry or scare you. So, what are our better food options?"

"Pizza? Chinese? There's a good Thai place too," she manages to say, although she has to take a deep breath first.

"What are you in the mood for?" he asks with a tilt of his head.

"You," she says without even a thought about it. She blushes furiously. Jack finds that endearing, and before she can say more, he pecks her cheek.

"That's good to know," he says against her ear, then takes a step back. "It's your pizza parlor any good?"

"Sure."

"Sam, I'm not the pregnant woman in this room. I'm sure you have some idea of what kind of food you want to have." He chuckles. Sam frowns in thought for a while. Then grabs the phone, dials a number, and passes him the flier of the one she chose.

"Hi, I want two chicken quesadillas rancheras, an enchilada, and a diet-soda. That one is fine. Wait! There's more." She says to the phone and grins at him. "What are you having?"

"The enchilada suprema and one beef taco," he says, deciding as fast as he could. He listens to her repeating his order. When she looks at him expectantly, he frowns until he understands what she is asking. "Water will do. "

"Great, so add extra guacamole and extra spicy sauce. Yup that be all." Jack walks further inside the kitchen to find himself some water, as she finishes with the details of her address. He turns around when he can't hear her voice anymore, only to realize she is observing him.

It's strange; he thinks, that she can watch him like that and not make him feel threatened. Like she shares with him some level of understanding, and she does, he knows. She has seen the horrors of war, and she's lost as many friends - if not more, due to her more outgoing personality - during the seven years they've known each other. Still, what makes him narrow his eyes at her are the other things he can see in her eyes. Things that he knows were carefully guarded since the confession was forced out of them years earlier.

He holds her gaze, and she can see him fighting with himself not to block what she can so easily (and eagerly) read in his brown eyes.

"Oh," she lets out, and he crooks his head.

"Before we get all talkative, which is something I believe we have been postponing for too long under the guise that we aren't 'that prone to keep deep conversations' as we led people to think," he grins. "I need you to answer a question for me, Sam. You know I'll know if what you are saying ain't true."

"Okay," she answers with a smile, feeling utterly curious.

"Why me?"

"What?"

"Why me?"

"Yes, I get the question, but I don't understand what you mean by it," she frowns. Jack observes her for a second, turns around, grabs another glass, and pours some water for her.

"Let's go to the living room?"

"Are you stalling?" she asks with narrowed eyes as he walks past her.

"No, I want you to sit. You look like you will pass out at any time now."

"Oh, okay."

They walk in silence the few meters separating them from the kitchen, and she plops herself down on the couch. Jack's right, after all, she does look like she might pass out because she is feeling exhausted. "I might fall asleep on you," she warns.

"Then, I'll wait for you to wake up."

"I'd like that," she grins. "Now, stop stalling, start explaining, Mister," she smiles.

"Sam," he starts, trying to phrase it in a way that he doesn't look like a prude, an obsessed man or an insecure one because he isn't any of those. "You are young,"

"I'm not that young anymore," she interrupts him.

"Younger, then," he shakes his head amused before his face becomes serious again. "Younger, beautiful, friendly, caring, smart, people at base adores the ground you walk. I've tried to understand what you could see in me to wait for us. I'm nothing more than," he stops to take a breath. Jack knows he needs to put himself out there. He knows she won't use it against him. "A very broken man. So, why me? You could have any guy out there, any guy on base and heck, even a bunch of guys from off-world."

"It's not like I had a choice, Jack," she smiles, a light shade of pink on her cheeks. "I thought this would be easier. I thought that by knowing you and trusting you as much as I do. It would be easier to lose my mask. It's not."

"Your mask?"

"You said so yourself, outgoing, friendly, caring. Then why do you think besides you, the guys and Janet I have no friends? Why do you think I'm a workaholic?"

"You aren't?" he frowns, confused by her questions.

"Yes, and no. I have no reason not to be one. It's far more productive to remain at base and numb my brain out with doohickeys than coming to an empty house. Especially, when I know the only message I'll get on my machine, will be from base recalling me to fix something. If they couldn't get a hold of me on my cell." She sighs. "Sit." He looks at her but doesn't comply.

"Please?" she asks, biting her lower lip and tapping the place beside her.

Jack takes a seat beside her. Sam turns around using the armrest to support her back. She takes a deep breath, searches for his hand, and plays with it for a while. He lets her. "I always loved your hands," she confesses before she can think about it. "They're never still unless they're wrapped around your P-90 or any other weapon. They say so much about you. I've seen them giving soft caresses, loving pats. Felt them in my hair when I thought I was dying."

"I …" he tries to start, but she stops him, raising her eyes to his.

"We are all broken inside, Jack. What matters is what we do with the pieces we have left. I didn't have a choice; it happened. One day you were the hero I wanted to meet, and then the next day, you were more. Every mission made it clearer for me."

"Clearer?"

"Yes, the fact that – virus aside – you never touched me. Yet, you've ruined me for other men, even before those stupid mind stamps. I've always known that no one can hold a candle to you. God, Jack, don't you see? You were broken beyond repair before I met you, and yet, here you are. Willing to talk about this with me, you're willing to put yourself out there for me. You've lost it all, and yet, you're here risking it again. So, shouldn't I be the one asking why me?"

"No?"

"You are worthy, Jack."

"I'm not," he says and lowers his head. She bites her lower lip and leaves a sigh out.

"I'm not sure what happened the day you lost Charlie, but Jack, even if you feel like you are. You aren't guilty of it. It was an accident."

"It was my gun," he mumbles, and she tentatively embraces him.

"It's not your fault," she whispers.

He turns around, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. He cries. She knows by the way her neck feels damp. Still, he doesn't utter a sound while he sobs in her arms. She doesn't either.

"No one ever told me that," he confesses after a while, taking a deep breath and untangling himself from her.

"But it is the truth, even if it was your gun. It was an accident, it couldn't be your fault, or it wouldn't be an accident," Sam states as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

He searches her eyes, finding out that she is telling him the truth. That is the way she sees it. For the first time, he doesn't find knowing eyes filled with blame, but kind ones filled with love and understanding. Sam knows her words don't mean much. She isn't a psychologist. She can't offer him closure for something that happened years before she met him. Still, Sam sees as some weight lifts out of his shoulders, for the first time since she's known him. She hopes whatever it was, it makes him feel as worthy, as she sees him.

Her doorbell chimes then. They know it must be their food. Jack stands up quicker than her. Before she could even get her purse, he's paid for their dinner.

"Where should I take this?"

"Want to eat here?" She asks, and he nods. She makes some space on the coffee table, and he lowers their food onto it. Sam slides to the floor, using the couch as her back support, and Jack sits next to her. His knees creaking as he does.

He knows she wants to talk some more, but he can't just yet.

"Eat." He orders and she doesn't complain.

He grins as she digs in quickly and hungrily. Jack's happy to let her have some of his food. He knows how hard it is for her to find something; she doesn't reject it because of the smell.

"You are not out of the hook, mister," she grins between bites.

"I don't want to be," he smiles, without giving much of a thought, he pecks her cheek before he too starts dinner. "Deep conversations can wait for a bit."

**Orilla**

**Weeks earlier**

"Loki?" Freyja asks as she enters the containment area, a few days after confirming the experiment was done.

"Freyja? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was wondering…."

"Yes?"

"I know why you chose the woman, but I'm wondering, how did you find her? The galaxies are vast and extensively populated by humans." If she could've, she would be frowning in worry, but their expressions are limited.

"I didn't."

"Then…"

"Thor did."

"Thor?"

"Yes, a long while ago."


	9. What does it mean?

"God, I'm so full," Sam lets out after cleaning out her order. Jack can help but chuckle at her expression.

"Well, I've seen no one devour Mexican food as fast as you just did," he points out, and she squints at him. "Okay, maybe Teal'c." Jack grins.

"Hey, I'm a pregnant woman! You can't compare me with the bottomless pit of his stomach!" They laugh wholeheartedly for a few seconds. "Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you want to make this happen?"

"Yes."

"Because I would understand completely if you don't want to go head-first into anything with me now. God knows I could give birth to a green looking humanoid or something."

"If it takes after you, I'm sure it will be the most beautiful green looking humanoid ever," he grins.

"Really, Jack," she deadpans.

"Yes, Sam. I'm sure I want to go head-first into anything with you now," he says, turning around. She sighs, remembering her promise to Janet.

"I … what would you say if I told you I feel I'm might be abusing of your trust and commitment to me if we do this?" She frowns. Surprised by her confession, he narrows his eyes, looking at her.

"I'd say you're overthinking again. I'm here because I want to be here, Sam." His hand finds her face and slowly caresses it. She can't help it; she closes her eyes, reveling in the feeling of his fingertips on her skin. When she opens her eyes, she knows her pupils are dilated.

"We'll still need to talk," Sam whispers, but she knows he understands what he sees in her eyes.

Jack nods once, agreeing with her before he closes the space between them. His lips find hers in a soft graze. She moans at the touch prompting him to do more. His tongue trails the limits of her lips before he sucks her lower lip into his mouth. She lets another moan escape her. She remains still, allowing him to move next to her. She knows if she follows his lead, they won't do much of talking and would find themselves under her sheets. Jack repeats his actions on her top lip, and Sam thanks spontaneous combustion can't happen to humans.

Jack withdraws after tasting her lips and smiles softly at her. She tastes just like he remembers plus Mexican food. He couldn't care less, he knows by her reactions and the sweet sounds she allowed to escape her mouth that she liked what he did. Although he is a bit taken aback with her lack of response.

"Oh," he says, understanding why she wasn't reacting the moment his eyes find hers.

"Tease," she whispers.

Sam moves forward and imitates his actions. When she suckles his lower lip, he can't take it. Not passively, at least. He answers her kiss with a kiss of his own. His tongue stroking hers, while his hands find the way to tangle through her hair, moving her head to allow him better access. She concedes readily, as her own hands find his hair and a way to bring him closer. They kiss for a while, learning spaces, and curves in a slow sensual dance neither want to stop until they must.

"Whoa," she pants against his lips once they finally stop. Her lips feel tingly and swollen, yet, she wants to launch herself on that same languid pace until eternity.

"Yeah, whoa," he smiles. He can't help himself as he pecks the bright red lips once more. "We need to talk."

"Talking is overrated," she says, fighting with herself not to kiss him again. Jack snorts. "But we need to talk."

"So?"

"So…"

They look at each other expectantly, but neither wants to be first. Instead, they laugh at their predicament.

"We know each other too well, Jack," Sam huffs. "And we don't know each other at all."

"I know. Geez, I know how you drink your coffee. You like to sleep on your side, even if it numbs your arm. And that a bad hair day on you looks adorable. That you wish your brother were more like Daniel. God, I know your dad loves you to bits and that you go techno-babbling when you are nervous or excited," he chuckles. "Holy Hannah! For some reason, I even know your favorite color is periwinkle! I didn't know what the hell periwinkle was until I met you, Sam!"

"I know you wanted to be an astronaut at some point, but was that what you wanted to be as a kid? Do you like to dance? What's your favorite song? The things I know from you are so … eclectic that I wonder if that's really you or the soldier or scientist you let us see." He confesses. Unable to decide, she shrugs.

"I guess it's a bit of all," she says. "But it's even darker for me, Jack. I mean, I know how you like your coffee, and that you'll have cake with everything. I think you do it, mostly because it reminds you of Charlie and the happy moments. I know that having seen all the dark shit you've seen, and done you refuse to grow up fully," she chuckles. "I love that you refuse to lose your inner kid. I also know there's a lot you hide to protect yourself from being hurt. There's been a time or two when I thought you might be afraid of our reaction if we knew what you've done."

"I am. I'm terrified that learning what I've done may drive you and the guys away," he mumbles.

"Don't be. I'm sure we all have our dark dwellings."

"Right, you and Daniel have plenty of dark dwellings," he raises his eyebrows, challenging her.

"Well, I can't speak for Daniel, but I was there for gulf war. People just seem to forget that," she points out. "I've done my fair share of shit. Besides, I'm sure you, like Teal'c and I, thought you were doing the right thing when you did it."

"Perhaps."

"Look, we could try to pinpoint everything about this or just continue beating around the bush and never getting to the point. So, I'm going to give it a shot." Unable to avoid it, she squares her shoulders. "If you are still willing. I would like to get that confession out of the room and see where this, whatever this might be, lead us… Jack."

"Sam…" he takes a deep breath. "There's a huge chance that what we share in the field, it remains in the field. There's a big chance this is just years of pent-up sexual tension. There's a chance this goes nowhere. But we finally have a chance to give it a try. If you'll have me, I would like to explore this thing with you."

"I would like that too," she smiles, teary-eyed. "We need to take it one step at the time, Jack. We can't assume what we know about each other is the real us."

"I agree. We should start from the beginning. But we are kinda years too late for that," Jack points out. When she crooks her head, he knows she's planning something.

"I'm Samantha Carter," she smiles and offers him her hand. He frowns confused for a second, and he takes her hand. "Everyone calls me Sam."

"I'm Jonathan O'Neill. Everyone calls me Jack." He answers.

"So, Jack?" she tastes his name even if she has called him Jack several times before during that same night.

"Yes?"

"Why 'Jack'? Not John? Or Nathan?" She asks. It was a question she always had in the back of her mind, and she'd never dared to ask. Jack frowns for a second before he shakes his head.

"Never told you that?"

"Nope."

"Really? Huh, well, I'm Jonathan O'Neill, like my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. All the oldest sons were all Jonathan O'Neill."

"Very original."

"Tell me about it," he rolls his eyes. "So, great-grandfather was Jonathan, and my grandfather went by Nathan. When my dad was born, they picked John for his nickname. When I was a kid, all four of us were alive for a while. My mom refused to allow people to call me J. So, my aunt butted in and offered Jack. It stuck. I never understood why they named me Jonathan if they never intended to use it."

"I see."

"What about you? Do you know why they called you Samantha?"

"My mom wanted Valery, and my dad wanted a boy," she says, and he frowns. "Hunter was the name my dad offered. I know, right? Hunter Carter? Anyhow, my grandma: she told them that my first name and last name should at least go together nicely and got them a shortlist of names. They saw Samantha, mom loved the meaning and dad the fact I could be 'Sam,' and here I am."

"What does it mean?"

"God heard," she chuckles. "I know, not quite like Princess or something." She smiles at him softly as she fights with her yawn.

"I should go," he says and shakes her head no. "Really, you look tired. We can continue this any time." He offers and stands his knees, crackling loudly with the movement. She grabs his wrist to stop him from walking away. "I know the way."

"Don't go," she pleads, looking up from her position down on the floor. Jack's face seems utterly far away from her now that he is standing.

"Sam," he starts to mutter an excuse he doesn't want to give. The truth is, he wants to stay, even if it means they wake up with sore necks from sleeping in an awkward position on her couch.

"Don't. I have a comfy bed, and I don't care how it sounds or looks like. I want you to stay. I could use some cuddling?" Sam grins and observes him doubt. Shaking herself, she stands and is almost at eye level with him. She tilts her head up a bit to look at him. "Only sleep, Jack. I promise I won't take advantage of you!"

"Sam… what you are offering…"

"It's something we both want, or at least, at some point we both wanted it. It won't be that much different from sleeping off-world, right? Only a bit closer? Unless you are not into cuddling…" She bits her lower lip.

Jack struggles, not because he isn't dying to hold her as she sleeps, but because all the boundaries they will be crossing with such a simple act. "If you aren't interested, is okay too," Sam adds, giving him an out.

"That's the thing, Sam. I'm interested. For all sakes and purposes, I'm already in your bed waiting for you." She wriggles her eyebrows playfully, and he shakes his head, amused.

"But…" she adds, knowing there's more to come.

"What would it mean for us?"

"It will mean that we manage to sleep. Let's not give it more thought than it deserves. It's not like we'll be committing to sleeping together until the second coming." Sam points out. She is the genius, and he can't fault her logic there. "At most, it will mean we can fall asleep together."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yup." He nods towards the door. "I'll get my duffel from my truck." He frowns then and opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes.

"There are no rules between us anymore, Jack" Sam points. "But if you want to park your truck inside the garage to keep it from prying eyes, I can open it for you."

"How?"

"Your doubts started when you mentioned your truck," she shrugs. "Go, I'll open it for you." Sam pushes him towards the front door, and she walks towards the entrance to the garage. Inside it, she opens the garage door and waits for him to park his truck inside before she closes the door again.

"Whoa, this is big." He points, looking at the neatly organized garage. Tools are hanging on all the walls, and her Indian is parked inside too.

"What can I say? A girl likes her space," she grins. "Ready?"

Jack nods. Sam grabs his hand and can't help the silly grin that takes control of her face when she links their fingers together. Sam feels like a teenager for the emotions that such a simple act brings on her. Shaking her head, she tugs his hand and makes a beeline for her room.

Jack blinks as he observes her room; he has never been there before. It looks nothing quite other female rooms he's seen. Somehow, it also doesn't look the way he had it pictured in his head. He expected white or cream, or anything else. But along with three charcoal grey walls, the one where her bed is, that one is black. All her furniture is of the same dark shade. The bed is covered with black sheets. However, the comforter is a white one that looks oh-so-soft. The room is dark, elegant, and has just enough white details to make it colorful enough. It's not what he expected, but it seems to fit with the Sam he knows.

"You can leave your duffel there," she points to a black chest at the feet of her bed. Jack nods, lowering his duffel. As he steps in, he notices the plush periwinkle carpet and can't help but smile at the touch.

"Nice room."

"Thanks," she blushes. "That's the bathroom," she points to the second white door by the entrance.

"No desk?" he grins, surprised when he doesn't find one. Sam shakes her head, amused by his question.

"If I had a desk here, I would never sleep. I have an office next door for that."

"Makes sense."

"You can go first," she offers, pointing to the bathroom door, "I'll close up the house while you are in there."

When she returns, he is already changed into some shorts and a t-shirt that is at least two sizes bigger than him. He is standing awkwardly looking at her bed as if it was a Goa'uld stronghold or something equally puzzling.

"Pick the side you want," Sam says, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her. When she finally comes out, Jack is sitting over the cover of the left side. She smiles. "A leftie?"

"Huh?"

"Nine out of ten men pick the right side to sleep."

"Should I even ask?" he smiles as she walks to the right side of her bed.

"Nah. It's just useless information I have to spare," Sam grins as she makes herself comfortable in the bed.

"No books?" Jack asks, surprised, also making himself comfortable.

"I read outside. It's too distracting."

"I didn't see a library?"

"It's in the office. I don't have many books. I feel keeping them hidden on a shelf defeats their ultimate purpose. So, besides the ones I've inherited from my parents, I donate the books when I finish reading them."

"You are one of a kind."

**Orilla**

**Weeks earlier**

"Thor found her?"

"Yes, she was on his database. I would still be looking if it wasn't for him."

"Oh, I see."

"What's worrying you, Freyja?"

"Nothing. What about the male? How did you find him?"

"I didn't."

"You… didn't? Thor?"

"No…"


	10. Bad Dream?

"Carter?" Jack asks as he enters the darkened room. He thinks he sees a person, but he can't be sure.

"Jack?" the shadow calls out and moves a step closer. The lights turn on in a dimmed set up, and he can see they are in a weird-looking room. He shakes his head. Thinking he has spent too much time in alien jails and buildings for his mind to come up with a place like this. He stops thinking altogether when his eyes finally land on her.

A thin transparent black robe, it's the only thing covering her. He has a hard time remembering how to breathe. She looks at him; her blue eyes dilated, her lips parted. It's then when he notices his own state of undress. He is only wearing thin cotton pants. Jack can feel that there's no underwear to contain the natural response to her almost naked body.

He doesn't give much of a thought to the fact that his dreams are getting weirder. If only because Carter reaches him, and he can't stop himself before pulling her close and kissing her. She bites his lower lip, moaning and allowing him entrance. He takes what she's offering, their tongues colliding, and teeth clashing together as they find their pace.

Sam's right-hand finds the nape of his neck. The way her fingertips tease his skin sends shivers down his spine. He gets even more excited when her left-hand finds a way between them both and takes purchase in his chest. She feels so warm, soft, and he can only think he needs more. He unties the knot of her robe. Lets it drop to the metallic floor below them before, he takes a step out to watch her.

She shivers under his gaze. With a smile, he links their hands together and walks her to the bed that he spotted. Sam doesn't need much more than locking her eyes with him to lie on the bed. He sees a flash of embarrassment.

"God, you are so beautiful," he whispers before he takes her lips once more. He worships her body as he takes his time to caress and kiss every single part of it. He memorizes spots and the sounds that come from her because of his actions.

It's a dream, he somehow knows. So he doesn't care about rules and regulations. He concentrates only on making Sam utter the soft little noises that guide him on his intent to make her reach ecstasy. Hopefully, she'll scream his name when she's at it. His mouth finds her center, and he commits to getting more moans and pants out of her.

"Jack!" she whimpers, with quivering legs. Her hands find his head, keeping him in place. "Oh, God, Jack!" she pants as she trembles under his ministrations. Then finally lets out a breathless "Jack," as she comes apart in front of him. He is so in awe of what he's managed. What Jack doesn't notice is that he's never seen that expression on her in any of his other dreams, not until this one.

"Jack," Sam whispers. "Jack? Are you okay?" she asks, and it's then when he wakes up. It was definitively a dream he thinks. The Sam that's lying beside him, it's fully clothed and looking at him with confused eyes. "Bad dream?" she asks.

"Huh?" He can't exactly confess to what kind of dream he just had. Not when she's looking at him with such understanding eyes, that also hold a hint of worry.

"Your dream? You were whimpering, and that woke me up. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I … it's okay. I'm okay, don't worry, it was just a dream."

"Want to talk about it?" She offers. He shakes his head no. "Okay, what about sleep? I'm drained."

"Go back to sleep, Sam. Sorry, I woke you up."

"It's okay. I just worried it was a nightmare or a bad memory. Good night again," she says and surprising herself; she pecks his cheek before she turns around on her side to try to get back to sleep. She's so tired that she manages easily.

Jack sighs, getting up from her bed. He pads slowly, trying to find the bathroom. Once Jack finds it, he closes the door behind him and turns on the light. He looks at himself in the mirror, his eyes are clouded with desire, and he sports a hard-on. One he hopes she hadn't noticed.

"One night on her bed for support and you can't control your brain," he rolls his eyes at his reflection. "Behave, old man," he mutters before he splashes some cold water on his face. He debates if it is a good idea to return to her bed. Sam wanted comfort and company. Not some creep having erotic dreams about her while cuddling on her bed. But the tiredness wins out, and he finds his way back to her.

The following morning, if she noticed something weird happened during the night, she doesn't comment. Instead, she makes tea for the two and apologizes for the lack of coffee. He grins and lowers his duffel bag on the floor near the island.

"Don't worry. I'll get some at the base later. Did you sleep well? After I woke you up, I mean," he says as he drinks the tea that she made for him. She chuckles as he tries not to grimace at the weird taste of her decaf tea. But they both had far worse, so he manages.

"Yup! Thanks for staying, Jack. I didn't want to sleep alone last night."

"Anytime." He checks the clock and sighs. "I should get going, I have to pick up the space monkey, and we don't want to be too late."

"Okay. Let me open the garage for you," Sam smiles.

They walk to the internal garage door. Before Jack realizes it, he has her pressed against the door and is kissing her lovingly.

"I thought you were late," she whispers once they break for air. She bites her lower lip in the sexiest way Jack had seen in his life. He pecks her lips once.

"I am, but I couldn't go without a proper goodbye," he winks at her before they finally get inside the garage. He jumps inside his truck. Waving at her as the garage doors open, and soon he reverses his way out of her home.

Sam feels like parts of her that she didn't know were lacking, have been placed back together. Yet, at the same time, she feels a weird loneliness. She frowns, she knows it's ridiculous to feel lonely when she knows he is going to be there at the SGC the moment she steps inside it. Or at least a few minutes later since he had to pick up Daniel.

The giddiness surprises her once she enters her home again and spots the living room. She caresses her lips with the tips of her fingers. With the tip of her tongue, she traces them a second later. Trying to find if she can still taste him on her lips.

Feeling like a teenager on her first crush, she walks to her phone and picks it up. Stopping herself when she figures Janet would be on the base too. Her friend's shift had started the previous day. She grins, knowing she will have to convince Janet to bring her lunch at her lab, so she could gush away all about having following her request. Telling her what a good kisser Jack is. Well, maybe just hint it and keep the latter for their next girl's night in.

She stops dead in her tracks when she reaches her bedroom and sees he had made the bed in the same way she would. For some reason, she can't stop the tears that fall from her eyes. Sniffling, she wipes them away with the back of her hands. "Damn these hormones!" she huffs.

Sam decides to shower. To see if water would help her to forget how endearing it was, that he remembers how she made it, and make it for her. Along with thoughts about how cuddly he was. Thankfully, somewhere mid-shower, she finally stops thinking about him, because she realizes she's going to be late for the first time in her whole life.

By the time she arrives at the SGC, she sees Jack's truck is in his spot. She sucks her lower lip. That brings memories of how acquainted he got with them during the last 10 hours or so. Before she shakes herself and goes inside with a silly smile, she doesn't seem able to wipe off of her face.

Sam knows that by mid-morning, SG-1 would have a briefing with Hammond. So that they can see their options for their next mission, she wishes she could be a fly on the wall for that meeting. Instead, she focuses on the several objects she has at hand. However, her mind keeps cycling through her previous night and early morning, making it nearly impossible for her to concentrate.

Sam was starting to feel she wasn't going to get anything done when Doctor Felger knocks her door. It's not ten minutes later than the base alarm starts.

At the same time, inside the briefing room, Hammond blinks several times before he realizes he is alone. The base alarm blares. He shakes his head, and if his suspicions are correct. Then the alert comes from the labs where one Major Samantha Carter has just vanished out of thin air.

Walter rushes to the briefing room and finds General Hammond alone. He frowns.

"Sir? SG-1?" Harriman asks, confused.

"Ah, I'll bet my last penny it was the Asgard."

"Sir?"

"Can you stop the alarm? I can't hear myself think."

"Yes, sir."

Hammond's internal phone rings, and he walks to answer it. He takes a deep breath before he tries to deal, with whoever had to have been the witness to Major Carter's disappearance.

Not knowing the havoc created down at the SGC. SG-1 plus Major Carter are blinking the spots out of their eyes. They are way up in Earth's orbit.

"Thor! Buddy," Jack says as the little grey alien joins them, looking at them as if they finally had lost it.

"Greetings, O'Neill. Doctor Jackson, Major Carter, Teal'c," the alien says, looking at them as he calls their names. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner."

"No biggie, Thor. Think you can help us?" Jack grins.

"I'm not aware of any issues at hand. Your explanation about the situation was vague."

"Sam is pregnant, Thor," Daniel says, and the alien blinks. "Uh, she is with child." Jack snorts, thinking he had never seen an Asgard deadpan before.

"Congratulations, Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill. The Asgards always hoped for an offspring of both of you."

"No!" Daniel interrupts the alien, seeing that his (very flushed) friends seem unable to find words. "Sam doesn't know who the father is…"

"Thor, buddy. We were hoping you could help us figure out who the father is, or at least how she got pregnant?" Jack tries.

"Our investigations show that humans should have sexual relationships to conceive. Is that not correct?"

"Yes, it is," Sam answers, blushing furiously, adding this conversation to her list of most embarrassing situations ever. "But I have no memories of having sex before getting pregnant. This is so uncomfortable," she sighs.

"You believe it could be an experiment?" Thor asks.

"That's what we fear," Jack says. "Do you happen to know about any ongoing experiments on Earth?"

"There are no ongoing experiments on Earth. It's been forbidden. Loki is in containment. He can't be responsible for this situation."

"Actually, Thor… The Colonel thought you could help me remember what happened?" Sam explains, and Thor blinks once, making her sigh.

"I have something I can synthesize for you that might help stir your memories. It takes time to work, and once it starts, it won't stop. It cannot be stopped. I can't limit the range of action from hidden memories, but I can set a short time between activations, so your memories don't overwhelm yourself."

"Can it hurt the baby?"

"No. It will only activate neurons to recall memories. I would recommend you stay in your quarters until the last of it is gone from your system."

"How would I know it's gone?"

"The memories will stop," Thor says and turns around to the ship's console. Not too much later, there's a vial containing a shiny yellow liquid in his hands. "Take this: when you are ready."

"What if it isn't enough? What if I keep remembering the same thing over and over? What if I'm stuck in my past and can't get to see the lasts months?" Sam asks quickly, not giving Thor time to answer.

"You only need to take a sip. That vial contains several doses. Our scientist designed it to avoid activating the same patterns twice. You won't relive the moment, Major Carter, but it will flashback to you quickly and vividly. If you remember something painful, you will feel the pain. If you remember something happy, you will feel joy."

"But even if it's something painful, it won't hurt the baby?"

"No, the pain will be in your mind. It won't be real, but it will feel like it is."

"That so doesn't make any sense to me," Jack mutters, gaining a glare from Sam.

"What about DNA?" She asks, grabbing the vial and looking at it apprehensively. Thor looks at her then moves towards his rocks. Moving some, he turns again to look at her.

"I can tell you. It's a male human being. Scans show it is healthy, and so are you, Major Carter. Remarkably healthy." He blinks several times, and for some reason, they all seem to believe the little alien is hiding something from them.

"A male human being?" Sam says in awe.

"Anything else?" Jack squints at him.

"It's an impressive DNA. Unfortunately, without knowing who the father is, that's all I can provide for now. I uploaded it to our systems to analyze it further. I can answer more about your son, Major Carter, when our scientists check the uploaded DNA."

"But you are a hundred percent sure he is human?" Sam asks nervously.

"Absolutely. There are some traits I can't identify as of now, but they won't change its human nature."

**Orilla**

**Weeks Earlier.**

"The male, Loki," Freyja asks nervously. "Tell me how you came to know about the male."

"I came to know about him, in the same way you did, Freyja."  
If she could, she would frown.

"I don't understand," she blinks and looks at Loki with questioning eyes.

"I knew about him, the day he found us by his own means."


	11. I was thinking...

Once they returned from their little trip to the Asgard ship, they informed General Hammond about the situation. He agreed that since Thor was sure it wouldn't harm her or the baby, she could take it out of the base. Since it was an Asgard med given freely to her, knowing they held her in high esteem. The General agreed to bypass the usual safety measures by not adding it to any report, not even to the one he had to file.

Once dismissed, Sam had reached her lab and placed the vial inside the safety cabinet she had for the more weird and dangerous doohickeys she had access to. Looking at the yellow liquid for a while before she finally closed the door.

At midday, she hears approaching footsteps that by the cadence alone she knows belong to Colonel O'Neill. She keeps working until she hears him clear his throat. When she turns around, he's lowering a tray on her now designated lunch table.

"Thank you, sir!" Sam says, nearing the table. She can feel his eyes on her and knows he is half-expecting her to run to the nearest bathroom, as she has done several times before. Jack gives her a crooked smile, letting out of a contented sigh when she sits.

"I'm sure this is for two," Sam gives him a shy smile and pats the seat next to her. Wondering where that shyness had come from.

"Well, I hoped it would work for three, too," he winks.

"It will do, sir." She beams at him. They get each a plate containing green beans and mashed potatoes, along with a piece of grilled chicken, and eat in silence for a while.

She can't avoid it. Sam observes him, trying to get the strength to ask him what she wants to ask. Yet, whenever she feels he is about to catch her staring. Sam turns her face away and pretends to eat. It's funny, she thinks, now that there aren't rules between them, she feels like she's been turned into a shy teenager again.

'It must be the damn hormones,' she thinks. She blushes under Jack's gaze, having been not fast enough to turn her face away. Jack smiles at her, wishing not for the first time that there weren't uniforms between them. That he was back to her house, speaking of nothing important while holding her as he always wanted. Able to kiss her whenever he felt like, which, if he was honest, was all the damned time.

"Everything all right?" Jack manages to ask as he sees a flash of doubt in her eyes.

"Yes," she nods. Then she shakes her head, "no?" He reaches for her hand, giving it a light, reassuring squeeze.

"I'm here, Sam. Anything you need, I'm here," Jack whispers, not breaking their eye contact, not even when her eyes fill up with unshed tears. "Will you tell me what's bothering you?"

"I'm not sure I can do it by myself…" she whispers. Jack frowns, confused for a moment until he looks down to where her hand is resting on her still flat stomach. It dawns on him what 'it' could be.

"You don't have to do it by yourself, Sam. We are all here to help you with it." Surprising him, Sam stands up, walks towards her safe, and opens it. Taking the vial, Thor gave her.

"I'm not even talking about this," she says, waving over her lower belly. "I haven't even started to consider if I can or can't do it by myself. I know whatever I chose, you'll have my back. I'm talking about this…"

"I know. You don't have to do it by yourself." Jack repeats, and stands up, closer to her. He grabs the vial and lowers it to the table. Then, he cleans the few remnants of tears that had managed to escape her eyes with the pad of his thumb. "You just need to say the word, and I'll be there for you."

"Can… can you come when I … use that?" Sam frowns, her eyes shining brightly with hope, hating herself for feeling so awkwardly clingy and weak.

"You know when you'll want to do it?" He asks, not giving her time to dwell on the emotions he can see flickering in her eyes.

"During the weekend? You know so that it won't affect me during work?"

"I just need to ask, are you sure you'll want me there? This thing will show you the memories you've hidden inside. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable if I'm there to witness whatever happens."

"If you are sure you want to see me going crazy with memories, you can't see. I wouldn't want anyone else," Sam says, a self-deprecating smile on her face.

"Don't you dare to feel bad about asking for help, Carter," he says softly.

Sounds of approaching boots make them take a couple of steps away from each other. They're both thankful for such a loud approach when the person, who joins them in her lab is SG-13 Colonel. Who comes searching for information on the doohickey they brought back.

"Let me know the time, Carter. So I can drop by on time... Team night," Jack says, shrugging dismissively to the other Colonel. "Teal'c just found out about Terminator and wants to see it," he adds before he walks away.

Jack knows they really don't need to explain themselves, but he prefers to avoid any issues. Especially when in the upcoming months, her pregnancy has to be announced.

Thor found them on a Tuesday. By Thursday, Sam was already driving herself crazy. She kept taking the vial out of the safety cabinet, looking at it and then placing it back. Jack hadn't missed a lunch date since Tuesday, and he, too, had noticed her nervous behavior.

So, when the last working hours of Friday were ticking by, Jack entered her lab.

"Ready to stop driving yourself crazy?" He asks, making her jump. With a hand over her racing heart and the other one clutching the vial tightly, she turns around to face him.

"Sir," she hisses. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry, I thought you heard me approach. I guess this thing has you more worried that I've given credit to," Jack says, pointing to the small container.

"Yeah," she grimaces. "I can't help but think I will relive my whole childhood, but I won't get to see what the hell happened to me."

"Okay, that's it." He huffs. Taking a step forward, he grabs the vial and places it on his chest pocket. Jack looks at her and gives her a half-smile. "Go get changed, I'm following you home. Once there, you'll jump in my truck, and we will go out for dinner. Then, maybe a movie if we find something that doesn't involve aliens and deaths. Only after we have spent a good time not worrying about this, we'll return to your home, and if you aren't tired. I'll give you this thing," he says, patting his pocket. "If by the time we get you home, you're as exhausted as you look. This thing will wait until tomorrow morning. I can make it an order."

"But, sir…" she trails.

"Sir, nothing. Carter," he shakes his head. "Sam, you are dwelling too much in the what-ifs. If you continue on that path, by the time you drink this. The past you are so afraid to face will be all you'll remember, mostly because it is what you are trying hard to avoid." She squints her eyes at him

"You don't know that! Thor never said something like that." She points, bracing herself in the middle.

"Yeah, but I know dreams, and I know nightmares. I've had my fair share on both. Those always pop up when you can't stop thinking about something. Who knows, maybe this thing doesn't bring your nightmares forward. But are you willing to risk it? Or is it that my offer to spend some carefree time with good old-Jack is too bad?" he says, looking at the floor. It's the pained expression on his face added with the self-deprecating tone he used what has her brain kicking in.

"Never. Give me a few moments. I'll save the work I was supposedly doing," Sam huffs, and then she looks guiltily at him. "I'm not sure I did much today."

"I'm sure you'll find time to impress us all with your tech skills." Jack grins. "I'll see you topside in half an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan, sir." He starts to walk away only to stop when he reached the door.

"Carter…" he says.

"Yes, sir?"

"The moment you sign that last paper topside, you better drop the sir." He says seriously, and she beams at him.

"Yes, sir!"

As he suspected, he had to stop by her lab once more to drag her out of it. She's already on her civvies, so that helps to make things quicker. But, still, there are at least forty-five minutes between the first internal checkpoint and her home. He sighs, as they sign off the paper on the topside checkpoint. They walk towards their parking spots.

"Carter?"

"Sir?"

"What did I say about the sir and the last checkpoint?" Jack grins, he knows it's almost an automatic response for her to call him Sir when he calls her Carter.

"Sorry, Jack," she grins. "What do you needed?"

"I was thinking…"

"That's a first," she jokes, and he rolls his eyes.

"Maybe it would be best you drove with me, so we can get straight to eat somewhere you like. Unless you wanna go home and get changed or something?"

"What about…" She says, pointing towards the base with her head.

"We can always say you weren't feeling so good, and I had to drive you home."

"Okay," she nods.

They're still traveling down Norad Road when Jack has an idea. She knows because he is smiling that smirk off his; she loves so much.

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"With my life," she says soberly, he takes a deep breath after her confession. Unable to find any words, he grasps her hand and links it with his over the stick. She has no idea where they are going but definitively isn't Colorado Springs, that he's aiming for since he takes a left on Academy Boulevard. She sees signs on the way, but she has no idea what it could be. That wouldn't exist in Colorado Springs.

"Stop thinking," he says and turns the radio on. He is pleasantly surprised when she sings along with the songs that pop out during the ride to their destination. "I didn't know you could sing," he says. "Is there anything you suck at?"

"Relationships," she answers without a second thought. Jack outright laughs at her.

"Well, then we suck at the same thing."

"Where are we going?" She asks then, feeling hungry and anxious at the same time. At least, he hopes the ride has served to make her forget about the vial that is now stored in his glove compartment. He grins.

"Right there," he points to a sign. He gets to see her expression of glee for a second before he has to get his eyes back on the road to avoid running into someone with his truck. Her eyes are still widened, and she still carries a silly grin as he parks and turns the radio to the proper channel.

"A drive-in? How on Earth you find a drive-in?" She asks, turning around to watch him in awe. Jack shrugs.

"I was feeling nostalgic once, and somehow I found this," he chuckles. "God, just giving away my age right then…"

"Oh, please. You aren't old," Sam rolls her eyes. Jack narrows his eyes at her. "Okay, you are an old and grumpy Colonel. Better?"

"Yup, my ego feels better now." He deadpans.

"Still, Jack. I know from an experience that you can give a youngster a run for his money." She grins mischievously. For a second, he has a flashback of the dream he had when he slept with her. Shaking himself out of it, he leans in, places a chaste kiss on her lips and grins.

"It's all the sarcophagous hours," he whispers, making her laugh.

"Oh, here," she says, passing him a small remote control and her keys. "In case I fall asleep. I never know nowadays."

"Are you inviting me over, Miss Carter?" he grins mischievously.

"Only if you behave, Mister O'Neill." She answers in the same manner. Jack chuckles, he can't remember the last time he chuckled or smiled so much as he had in the previous hour.

"So, wanna go find something to eat? Or should I risk it?" He asks as he sees a teen passing in front of their car with a burger big enough to feed a small country.

"Oh… a cheeseburger, extra cheese. And pickles!"

"Pickles?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup, there's no drive-in experience without pickles." She grins. He shakes his head and goes find them something to eat. By the time the movie credits roll out, Sam is comfortably asleep on his lap. His hand had found her hair and was stroking it lightly.

He turns the engine on and starts the way back to Colorado. To his joy, Sam doesn't wake up at all during the trip. She stirs a bit when he reaches out to grab the remote she gave him before. He strokes her hair lovingly, sending her back to dreamland.

Jack hopes she won't wake up when he slides out of the seat. He opens the internal door and turns the lights on inside, so he can risk carrying her without killing them both on the way. He gets back to the garage and takes her in his arms.

"See, way better than any youngster," she mutters as he drops her on her bed and takes care of her shoes. "Don't ever leave me, Jack," she whispers then, and Jack's heart almost breaks in the needy way she says it.

He figures that they had slept together before. She had invited him anyway. But, he doubts as he gets back to the truck to get his duffel bag out. He drops his duffel in the guest room. He gets changed into his baggy pants and a looser shirt. He goes through his night routine before he decides to check on her.

Jack reaches her room. She seems so cozily inviting, that he doesn't want to return to the guest room. As if on cue, Sam turns around, she had felt his gaze burning her skin, and that woke her up slightly. Feeling desired, aroused, and warm in ways she usually didn't.

"Stay," she whispers, locking her eyes with his. He doesn't doubt. He jumps on the bed and brings her as close as he can. He closes his eyes and breaths her in; memories of the dream take over again. He hopes that one not so distant day, he can re-enact what his mind is showing him.

But tonight is about her, so he caresses her back, and she relaxes on top of him. Sleep never came so fast for Jack in his life.


	12. I'm talking to myself now

Sam stirs, a lazy smile on her face that turns into a surprised 'oh' as she feels his lips caressing her back. Wet kisses and the slow, tentative tastes of her skin, bringing out pleasure goosebumps on all her body. There's a low, sultry, manly chuckle followed by a growl after she pants.

She feels the too-thin mattress all too well when she plasters herself almost painfully against it, as she moves to give him more access. He reaches for her neck, and she feels the heat burning up again, faster than anything she had experienced before. His hand finds a way under her. She rocks her hips as he reaches the place where she wants him the most.

Fingers find their way inside her, moving devilishly slow. His hand is pressed between her and the mattress. It allows her to take some control of the situation she is enjoying. He, along with her own sweet movements, take her there faster than she thinks should be possible.

"Carter," he drawls against her ears, and she stirs softly. There's not enough energy left in her body to do anything, but being a boneless lump on the mattress.

Sam wriggles in place then, but the mattress is hard and uber comfortable. She sniffles, smelling the same perfume she uses on her things. She blinks several times, noticing the weight of her clothes that had never left her body, or so it seems.

Utterly confused at first, by the hand that keeps her trapped. She turns around slightly to notice an also fully clothed Jack O'Neill. Warm breath coming out of him and looking more relaxed than she's never seen him before. He's profoundly asleep and wholly dressed. She frowns in confusion. 'That's one helluva vivid dream,' she thinks as she slides from under his arm, trying not to wake him up.

Sam notices she's barefoot and smiles. She reckons she fell asleep on him. As she pads to the bathroom, she remembers being awake enough to ask him to join her on her bed. She thinks it's endearing, all that he has done for her on that night. Blushing slightly, she considers this one could have been a lovely first date. She shakes her head, closing the bathroom door before she turns on the light.

"Was it a date?" she asks to her reflection. She chuckles, "I'm talking to myself now."

Sam checks the watch. He hasn't taken off her and sighs when it tells her it's 3 am. A flash of the dream she had, crosses her mind again. She splashes some water on her face, which now has a disgusted expression.

This dream of hers. It is part of the dream she's been having for weeks now. She had read somewhere that pregnancy could make you horny. Though she had found nowhere that this horniness they spoke of could be dream related.

She closes her eyes. It's almost like she can feel the dream. The thought of those ghost-like kisses on her back, send shivers down her spine.

"Come on, Carter. You have to get some sleep!" She tells herself, ignoring how crazy it is. That's not the first time she's spoken to herself in less than ten minutes without a doohickey involved.

Taking a deep breath, she tries to remember where she has left her sleeping attire and grimaces. She remembers then that she's been postponing laundry. Her past two days sleeping attire are a huge t-shirt. One that Jack had loaned her in one of their many missions, and she had failed to return.

Sam's options are that shirt or the blouse she's using, which is a tad too short to cover her ass. Jeans are nice and all, but she can't wait to get out of them. So, she walks inside her room. Finding her way around in the dark, she gets to the hanger where she left the shirt.

She throws a glance over her shoulders to check if Jack was awake. But Jack doesn't seem to have moved from where she last left him. Shrugging, she turns around towards the door, gets rid of her blouse, and puts the t-shirt on before her bra comes off. Her pants follow once the shirt is covering her ass.

Sam considers for a second searching for pants, but Jack looks inviting with his arm still stretched where she was supposed to be sleeping. With a smile, she slides back in place; but when she grabs his hand to slide under his arm, he stirs a little.

"Everything okay?" he asks sleepily.

"Yup, bathroom call," Sam uses as her excuse.

"Hmm, okay. Missed you," he says, and she holds her breath wondering if he is so asleep that it fell out of his mouth without thinking.

Unaware of the turmoil that his words created in her. Jack snuggles closely to her, breathing her in. Sam bites her lip to avoid the gasp that wants to leave her. The unexpected kiss on her neck that follows, brings back all those goosebumps and memories of the dream. But, soon enough, his heartbeat and soft breathing cocoon her in safety, and without even noticing it, she sleeps.

The next time she stirs, there's no arm weighing her down. There's no warm body tightly snuggled next to her. The bed is cold. She sighs, wondering if she imagined things. If this pregnancy is also making her experience dreams so vivid that she could have sworn they were real.

She stands up, and when she opens the door, she hears pans and pots clashing around. Curiously, she pads towards the sound. Sam finds Jack opening and closing cabinets of her kitchen, searching for some mysterious ingredient for whatever he is trying to make.

Curiosity sated, she rushes back to her room to shower and brush her teeth! When she's out again, she feels rested, comfortably dressed in her last clean jogging pants, and a t-shirt of her own. There aren't loud noises anymore, but the smell of what she hopes is pancakes make her stomach growl.

"God, please tell me it's pancakes."

"Not, God. Just Jack," he grins. "Yup, I hoped they wouldn't bother you. It scared me when I heard you rush back to your room."

"Not rushed, just took my chance at getting a shower. Will it take long?"

"Another five? Why?"

"Ugh, I need to start some laundry, or I'll be screwed up if I need to shower later on." She huffs.

She has no idea what her comment does to him. Jack stops moving for a couple of seconds, trying to regain control over his mind. Screwed up and shower in the same sentence was not something; he was expecting coming from her. Not when he'd had that dream he seemed prone to have whenever he was holding her at night.

'Whenever?' he thought, 'You slept with her twice, Jack. You didn't do all those things you've dreamt of, wants, and needs of doing them notwithstanding.'

The smell of burning pancakes brings him out of his mind chat. He grimaces when he notices he burned them beyond repair and hopes it still is enough without those two. He throws them to the bin before he pours more batter into the pan.

"Everything all right?" Sam asks. He turns around with a confused frown. "It's just that I went to put the first load to the wash, and you don't seem to have noticed it."

"Sorry, I guess I zoned out."

"You can do that?" She chuckles.

"Joke about it, Carter, and I'll cut you out of the pancakes," he says in a fake menace tone. "Let's eat."

Jack had searched all around to find the things they need. So when he brings the pancakes to the table, it's all set. Sam's eyes tear up a bit, it's been ages since she has properly sat in her dining room to have breakfast.

"We can eat, and then you can show me how your drier works. So, I can put your clothes into it if you are too out of it."

"Out of it?"

"You know… that thing you need to drink?"

"Are you staying with me through this?"

"Yep."

"We should get you some clothes before I do this, Jack. I mean, I hope the effects don't last long. But if they do… I'm sure you will be better out of your jeans." He stops his fork midway to his mouth.

"Gee, we haven't even gotten to date two, and you want me out of my jeans already?" He jokes, but the gaze he gives her is smoldering. She can't help but feel sexy and wanted.

"Oh, I wanted out of your jeans around mission three, sir," she says with such confidence that leaves him struggling to answer. She laughs then, a rich, sultry laugh that he knows will be the death of him.

"You told me you wanted me here, Sam. I'm here for you." He says. Jack can't avoid the husky tone of his voice, mostly because he is still affected by her comment and laugh. "I left my overnight bag in your spare room. Or I should say, my weekend-ready bag."

Sam can't help the blush on her face. If Jack's inner boy-scout had made him leave his stuff in the spare room, he had to be just checking on her when she asked him to stay for the night. Only to cuddle up to him and have that weird little erotic dream of hers.

"What?" Jack asks, watching expressions flick on her face faster than he can read them. She shakes her head.

"Nothing, just thinking!" She smiles dismissively.

"You? Thinking? What a surprise!" He deadpans. They eat in silence for a while, and Jack's happy to see she had devoured four pancakes without a grimace. "Ready to show me how your washer and drier works?" Jack asks as she pushes her plate away from her.

"I will show you, but only if you need to use them," she says as they walk away. "I won't let you do my laundry."

"We'll see," he chuckles.

Sam stops dead in her tracks, making him almost crash against her. She's narrowing her eyes at him, her arms embracing her middle as she dresses him down with her glare. He thinks that's the most endearing image of Samantha Carter because she seems angry. She is mostly just annoyed that there's a chance he might need to do stuff for her, that she usually could do herself.

"I mean it, Jack," she whines. He can't help it, he laughs.

"Carter," he says, trying to contain the emotions he can't name. His hand finds her cheek, caresses it, before he places a kiss on the corner of her lips. "I promise I won't try to do your laundry if you can do it yourself. But I'm not leaving your clothes laying in there for hours just because you can't move them to the drier yourself."

Sam assesses him for a while. She knows he is telling the truth, but there's also something in his eyes that makes her feel all fluffy on the inside. Surprisingly, she isn't crying! Yet, lust rears its heads from somewhere she didn't know it was hiding. Without thinking much, she has him against the wall. She kisses him fervently, devouring his mouth, touching him in desperate need.

Jack's surprised by her actions, but he also has experienced the joys of pregnancy lust before. He is sure that Sam, passion aside, doesn't want to remember their first time as a quick romp against a wall. So, against his desires, he pushes her slightly away from him.

"Sam," he pants. Her baby blues are almost black with desire, her lips swollen, and Jack feels pride at being responsible for making her look like this. "I want to do this as much as you do. But I'm sure we don't want to do it like this." She blushes and hides her face from him. He raises her head so he can see her eyes before he adds, "not for the first time at least." She beams at him, and he pecks her lips, then she entangles their hands and shows him what he wanted.

Not much later, they are both sitting in her living room. Sam's curled up, clutching a pillow as if it was a shield against whatever fears are going through her head. Jack knows all the anxiety she's showcasing is related to the vial with the yellow liquid that sits on the coffee table.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asks. Sam can read the concern in his eyes, even if he tries to appear he isn't worried.

"No. But, if I don't, what are the chances of ever finding out what the hell happened?"

"There's that," he shrugs. Taking a deep breath, Jack moves forward and grabs the vial. He uncaps it, takes a whiff and grins. "Well, it smells like coconut."

Jack offers the small bottle to her, and Sam takes it. A grimace takes over her face, "I just hope it doesn't taste like the last yellowy thing Thor gave me." Then she takes a sip.

Nothing happens.

Sam can't feel any difference. She doesn't have the headache she assumed would come from tinkering with her neurons. She doesn't feel dizzy or bad.

"So?" Jack asks, flinching for the possible pain she must be feeling.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nope, not a thing. Maybe I need to take more," she ponders. But his hand stops her.

"Let's give it an hour?"

"Okay."


	13. What did Janet say?

"Anything?" Jack asks as she joins him. Perching herself at the kitchen counter while he is concentrating on finishing what looks like will be a delicious baked chicken.

"Not really. Maybe I just should take another sip," she says and then frowns. Jack takes the chicken tray and slips it in the oven. Sam's eyes widen, doing almost the same movement she sees her mom. "Whoa! This is crazy." She blinks.

Jack frowns, turning to observe her. "What is?" Beside him, her mother smiles tenderly.

"This is," she waves towards 'them.' Jack looks beside him and frowns when he notices nothing too weird going on in her kitchen. Well, besides him cooking.

"Sam, you aren't making any sense."

"No. I know… I think… It's just that I see you in my kitchen cooking a baked chicken. I see the light in the oven, the potatoes, and all the mess you've done here."

"Sorry," he smiles sheepishly.

"Don't worry. I'm even messier as a cook. But that's not all. I'm also seeing my mom baking cookies. She's standing right next to you, but she's also not here, but in the kitchen of the last house we shared." Sam gulps as her eyes fill with tears. "God, she was so beautiful."

Her landline goes off then, and she turns around, trying to find the device. But's not hers, it's from her memory. She watches as her mom walks towards the wall and picks up the phone from the cradle, smiling brightly at her.

'Hey, really? Okay. Yes, don't worry, Jacob. I understand. I love you.' Her mom's words fill her with dread as she remembers when this memory belongs to. 'Sammie, your dad will be a tad late. I need to head out for work. Can you take care of the cookies?'

'Sure, mom.' She remembers saying with a bright smile. 'Will you be home early?'

'Yes, I'll get ready. I will be here before your dad gets home.'

'Wasn't he supposed to pick you up from work?'

'Sammie, when you grow up. You'll understand that sometimes we want to do things, but we simply can't. Life isn't as easy as we think it is when we're young.' A tear falls from her eyes.

"I love you, mommy," Sam says out loud, and she swears she can feel the kiss on her cheek and how she mussed her hair.

'Be a good girl, take care of those cookies, Sammie. And whatever you do, don't get angry at Mark or Daddy. They don't often get it, they're just men!' she chuckled, and Sam did too. 'Promise me, Samantha.'

'I promise you, mommy.'

'I love you,' her mother says. Sam can feel the kiss she left on her forehead as if it was that same nefarious day. As if this conversation was a bad omen of what it was to come later that day.

"God, I failed you, mom," Sam mutters, shaking her head while cleaning her tears with the back of her hand. When she blinks the memory away, Jack's nowhere to be seen. She jumps down from the counter, taking a deep breath to avoid the bout of nausea that hits her.

"Jack?" she calls, walking out of the kitchen. She spots him, standing next to her phone. The tube cradled between his head and shoulder.

"Yup. You know, the vial thing…. Cool," he feels her eyes on him and turns around, smiling at her. She frowns, nodding towards him. As an answer, he winks at her.

"She just got her first memory back, so I'll ask her how she's feeling. I'll let you know. Kay? Yup! Bye, Janet."

"I'll take it, that wasn't a raincheck on our girl night," Sam said.

"No," Jack sighed, and walked towards her. He notices the trail of the tears she had tried to clean, and his hands find her cheeks. "How are you feeling?" He asks as his eyes bore holes into her.

"I'm holding up," she offers, biting her lower lip.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she huffs, but her eyes fill with tears again. Jack embraces her tightly. "I remembered the last time I saw my mom alive," she mumbles against his chest. His hands caress her back, and she feels stronger to continue. "Jack, I failed her so badly."

"I'm sure she's proud of you, Sam."

"No, you don't understand. She made me promise that I wouldn't get angry at Dad and Mark. Here I am, years later, still avoiding my brother. Holy Hannah, it took me years to forgive my dad!"

"But you are trying, Sam. I know you never stopped loving either of them."

"Yeah, I just don't show up when Mark asks me to," she frowns. "It's just… I don't want to go alone to his house. I don't want him introducing me to his friends, who want either a quick fuck or some trophy wife."

"I get it. Hey, if you want, I can go with you next time," Jack offers. Sam takes a step back.

"Next time is next weekend, Jack."

"Well, it could be today too. My offer stands."

"Really?"

"Really." Sam grins, then she frowns again. "What did Janet say?"

"Oh, that… Well, Janet said she needed to apologize to you because you were due an ultrasound at least two weeks ago. But between Thor's visit, and how busy the infirmary has been the past few weeks, she had no other choice but to keep postponing it."

"Well, SG teams' lives are a lot more important than a check-up, right? Besides, Thor said the baby was healthy."

"Yeah, he said that. It was most likely she didn't want to risk anyone else learning about your pregnancy by eavesdropping. Anyhow, she says she can squeeze it in today if you feel like it? I mentioned you drank from the vial. So, she wants to see you, but only if you feel you can risk going out. I'll take you there, and I'll be there with you every step of the way."

"Damn these hormones," she mutters as her eyes fill with tears again. She gives him a watery smile. "I would like that very much."

"I'm here, Sam, in whatever capacity you need me." Unable to hold his gaze, she drops her head on his shoulder again and nods.

"Thank you."

"So, let me know if you feel up to a trip to the SGC."

"We better do it now before another one hits."

"Oh, you need to take some water with you. Janet mentioned having a full bladder," he shrugs. With a sigh, he heads to the kitchen to turn off the oven until they get back.

They quickly set out on their way. As the houses fade in the background and the mountains appear, Sam sees herself sitting on the back of her dad's car. She's around six, and the view comes from the rearview mirror.

"Oh, God." She whispers, and Jack takes her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Another one?"

"Yeah…" she answers as she fights with Mark about how she's way older because she's four minutes older. Sam also notices her mom is quietly looking to the outside. Her dad, just like Jack's doing, is holding her mom's hand.

"Want to talk about it?" Jack asks as she sees her dad pulling her mom's hand to his lips.

'We could always adopt, honey,' Jacob says.

'I'll think about it. I wanted another one,' her mother smiles sadly.

'I'm sorry.'

"Geez, it's... they are…" Sam shakes her head.

"Did it finish?"

"Yeah. It was short. It wasn't about me. I think I just remembered my parents talking about having other kids?"

"How did that go?"

"Not well, they mentioned adoption. I guess I'll have to ask dad once I'm brave enough to summon him to the SGC."

None of the guards they encounter are surprised to see them entering the base out of the blue. The nurses are a bit taken aback when they spot Jack coming to the infirmary without being hurt or in his BDUs. They ask for Janet, so they assume it's most likely a social call.

"Hey," Janet grins as they enter her office. "I got it all set up in a VIP room. So, we don't risk being watched."

"Awesome!" They follow Janet around the corridors of level 21 until she stops in front of a room. She swipes her card, and the door unlocks.

"Here we are," Janet smiles. "I can take it from here, Colonel." Jack looks at Sam, who gives him a pleading look in return.

"Carter is up to you."

"He can stay."

"Come on in then," Janet says, giving Sam a knowing smile. Sam only rolls her eyes. "Well, we should've done this around what we believe is your 6th week. In that case, we should've done a transvaginal ultrasound." Sam can't help but blush at that information.

"But since we are two weeks late to it, and we don't know for sure at what stage you are… I want to try ultrasound. So, I need you to open your pants and pull up your shirt. I might need to lower your panties a little too. So, are you sure you want the Colonel here?"

"Yes," Sam looks at Jack and smiles brightly. She offers him her hand. Without a doubt, he takes it and stands close to her.

"I'm sure you know how this one goes," Janet says as she takes the gel. Sam flinches a bit when the cold gel touches her skin. Janet moves the wand slowly, frowning more and more with each movement.

"Janet, you are scaring the shit out of me," Sam whispers. Jack gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, but he squares his shoulders in a way that show the worry he's feeling. Sam can't help feeling a surge of love as she sees him so worried about her child.

"It's … I'm…" Janet shakes her head. "Let me take some measurements," she continues working, not telling them much. She can feel the nervousness in the room when she turns to face them. "The baby is all right, Sam. It looks healthy… for a ten weeks fetus."

"Ten weeks?" Sam frowns. "Are you sure?"

"It's two inches long, the head is taking half the length of the body, and you can see fingers and toes. Sam, it's beautiful. Here, let me print it for you," Janet says, happy tears in her eyes, "while I show you it."

Janet turns the screen and moves the wand, pointing to the head and body on the screen. Sam's eyes fill with tears, and a couple slides down her cheeks. Her hand is tightly squeezing Jack's, who has to gulp.

"Let me check one last thing," Janet says, turning to the device. Soon, a heartbeat takes over the room, and Sam cries freely.

"It's that…"

"Yeah, the heartbeat."

"God, this is so… thank you," she says. Looking from Janet to Jack and finally letting her eyes fall on the gray lump on the screen. Janet nods. Passing her some absorbent paper towels to clean the remainders of the gel off her stomach.

"Since what I've seen puts you at week ten. We need to find an OB/GYN. We might need to get someone with clearance so that everything will be easier for your case. I will talk with the General. To see if we can bring up to speed to one of the Doctors that have worked with alien pregnancies before. Once that's set, you can ask for fetal genetic testing to overrule any genetic disorders."

"Thor said it was healthy," Sam whispers.

"I'm sure it is! It will be just an assessment if you want to do it. You also need to keep taking the prenatal vitamins and drink at least ten glasses of water a day."

"Speaking of water…. I need to excuse myself for a second." She says, rushing to the restroom. Jack chuckles.

"You are taking care of her, right?" Janet asks, narrowing her eyes at Jack.

"I'm doing my best, Janet. I will stay with her for the weekend. While she tries to figure out what happened ten weeks ago using the Asgard juju."

"Great! Please, Jack. Call me if anything goes wrong."

"I will, Janet. I'm sure she will too."

"I will what?" Sam says, coming out of the bathroom then.

"Call me if you need something," Janet grins. "You still owe me a girls' night. But since you are on that magic juice, I'll take a raincheck." Sam's eyes widen then. Jack, who has seen this happen before, sighs.

"What's going on now…" Jack tries. Sam's heart races as she blanches. Sam screams in pain and grabs her arm. They both can see the tears of pain she isn't letting fall. She hisses a second later, and then she blinks.

"What was it?"

"Damn! Thor wasn't kidding when he said I would feel it," she says, rubbing the arm she had clutched before. "I just broke my arm for the first time again." Her friends let out the breath they didn't know where holding, and she frowns. "I'm sorry I scared you. The pain was so blinding that I couldn't speak through it."

"But, you're all right?" Jack asks.

"Yup, just peachy! So, Janet. Besides the joys I'm already experiencing… what else should I expect?"

"Well, if you feel you aren't fully emptying your bladder, you should come to see me. But if I recall correctly, during this week, the kicker is vivid dreams."

"Oh, crap! I guess I chose the worst week to try Asgard drugs then." She chuckles.


	14. No, not bad.

She feels sticky, dirty, and smelly. She frowns, wondering if there was a time when she didn't smell like sweat, grease, and smoke combined. A moment where her skin wasn't covered with grime. She doesn't quite know how she looks, there aren't mirrors here. Yet she has a recollection of her hair being of a bright yellowy shade. Grinning, she also remembers vividly sitting in a tub, covered with bubbles and the faint smell of vanilla in the air.

"What's vanilla?" A deep voice says beside her as he snuggles closer to her. His rich tone sends shivers down her spine.

"I don't know," she whispers back. Getting as close to him as the small cot would allow them without creaking or breaking. "Jonah?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember things, that seem like they don't belong here?" she asks, turning around. She gasps when she feels the strain in Jonah's pants colliding with the low of her stomach.

"Don't say that out loud, Thera, or they might believe it's the night sickness," he says worriedly. Pressing her closer, as if demanding her to stop that train of thought. "Shh, I can hear you think."

"Wait? So you do?" She asks away. Holding a groan as his lips find the hollow of her neck. He stops, observing her with those dangerous dark eyes of his and gives her a slight nod. Before she can keep prodding, he places a finger over her lips.

"Do you believe in us, Thera?" He whispers. Moving his head away a little to watch her as she considers his question. She shakes her head with a bright smile, and he lets out a breath.

"Yes," she answers. Even if her mind tells her it was wrong. Her heart, her body tells her they are the most perfect thing in the entire world. She trusts in her mind to solve things like the issues with the boilers and the improvements she's proposing. But, for this, she follows her heart.

"Then don't go there and stay here with me," he pleads.

Her mouth finds his, drinking him fiercely. His hand finds a way under her loose pants, and hers follow his lead. He catches her moan with his mouth. "Shh, we have to be quiet. No one can know, Carter. Your career…" he says and shakes his head.

"My what?" Thera whispers breathily as he hits the sweetest of the spots.

"It's just a saying," he shakes his head, confused for a second until he concentrates back on the task at hand. She tugs his pants down.

"I need you…" she whispers, and he complies with a grunt. They move in tandem, slowly, tantalizing, mostly because that's the only way the cot will remain quiet. That's the only way they can be one, alerting no one else. "I love you," she whispers. His hand finds the side of her breast and sends her shivering over the edge.

Sam gasps for air the moment Thera climaxes in her memories. With glazed eyes, Sam rubs her face tiredly and sits on the couch. She is still panting, goosebumps still cover her body. She can feel her weakened legs, even if she knows it wasn't happening per se.

Sam forces herself to remember that. Feeling overwhelmed between the ultrasound and the memories that kept hitting her. She got herself comfortable on the couch the moment they arrived. By then, sleep was all Sam wanted. She had hoped it would give her mind some rest. Maybe help her settle the conflicting feelings that were coursing through her before.

Now, after waking up like that, Sam knows she was wrong. At least one hidden memory had managed to pop in her mind's eye even if she was asleep.

"What's wrong?" Jack asks, noticing she's now sitting, her head buried in her hands. She sighs, getting down of a high that happened years ago.

"Do you remember anything for the time we had at P3R-118?" Sam asks.

"Which one was that one again?" He frowns in confusion.

"The one where they mind stamped us?"

Jack lets himself fall on the sofa in front of her, a frown on his face. The truth is, they never talked about it because there was nothing to tell.

They all got forced hours of counseling, but since it was something no one had ever encountered before. It was almost impossible to be treated. The fact that none of them remembered more than the moment their personalities retook control didn't help at all. It was also what granted them their return. The program needed them. With the memories of those days completely gone, there were no reasons not to clear them for duty again.

"No," Jack smiled. "I've tried to remember. I know deep down something changed there, Carter. Whatever it was, I hope it was for good. Why?"

"I suppose those days were cataloged in my mind as 'lost memories,'" she grimaces.

"You mean?" he frowns.

"I just had one vivid one… of us…" she blushes.

"Oh," Jack says, noticing the blush. "Hopefully nothing too bad?"

Could she tell him they, well Thera and Jonah, had been in a very intimate relationship that they had forgotten all about? She wonders for a second before she decides she could… but not right now.

"No, not bad," she smiles. She rubs her face once more. "I wonder how much longer it will be before I stop seeing things that aren't there."

"I guess we'll know when they stop," he offers, and she looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Damn, that sounded straight out from Oma Desala's book. Don't worry, I know that's not useful at all."

"Well, I could offer you some of my magic drugs, but until I haven't finished this trip down memory lane or find whatever happened to me… I'm keeping the whole damn bottle to myself."

"I won't complain about it at all. Granted, I wouldn't mind knowing exactly how 'not bad' those memories are. I guess we can always make new ones, right?" He grins. Before he stops himself, he kisses the tip of her nose.

Sam scrunches her nose and chuckles at him. So, he tilts her head a little and places a second kiss on her hair. She sighs.

For some reason, Sam always knew Jack would be extra loving in a relationship. He doesn't push her any further. It's her, the one taking the lead. She stops him from going away. Kissing him when she remembers it's been two weeks since he last took her breath away with a soul-searching kiss.

As per usual, he didn't disappoint. Soon, Jack was placing himself carefully atop her as he lowered her comfortably on the couch. Their lips were moving slowly, savoring the moment. His hands caressed her sides, and she chuckled.

"Ticklish?" he grins, placing a peck on her lips. She bits her lower lip and nods, a faint blush covering her cheeks.

"A bit. We should…" Sam trails off, looking to the side.

Sam isn't sure what they should be doing. All she knows is that his touch is exhilarating as it is. With the added excitement of her recalled memory, she can't think straight with him still hovering over her. Even if he isn't pressing himself against her as he had in her mind.

It's not like she doesn't want him hovering over her. She desperately needs him. But Sam wants to be sure what she's feeling and what she's doing, is with her mind settled on their present. Not unfocused by a past she can't change, and he can't remember.

Jack understands the hesitancy he sees in her eyes. Even if it isn't too soon. They've known each other for ages, still it's early. They have time ahead to move forward. With no attempts to find her memories in the middle of their make-out session. He wonders what it's that she saw, that she's so conflicted with sharing. He licks his lips once, tasting her in his lips and smiles.

"We should do this more often," Jack grins, standing up. She chuckles, sitting again.

"I agree."

"But the chicken is about done, and I don't want to burn it," Jack winks at her before he disappears. "Five minutes, Carter… and then we eat."

"Okay."

After Janet's call earlier that day, his lunch plans had turned into dinner ones. So, he was hoping it turned out at least edible. Or that she wouldn't rush to the bathroom to throw up the moment he lowered it on the table. When he walks to the table, tray in hand, she is already there waiting for him with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Jack," Sam says, placing her hand over his and caressing it with her thumb. "I didn't want to do this alone," she points to her head and sighs. "You didn't need to go all out and make this."

"I know, but I wanted to. We both need to eat," he grins. "Besides, I've been told food is the way to the heart. You've got to know I make a mean chicken." Her eyes widen. Her mouth hangs open for a second before she shakes herself out of it with an unladylike snort.

"God, sorry. I mean… I don't know what I mean…" she sighs, blushing as she tries to get a hold of her thoughts to at least understand what had her snorting like that.

"Relax, Sam," he whispers. "It's just me."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," he points. "Oh, I placed the printout in your bedside table. I wasn't sure where you'd want it. That seemed like the best place."

"Thanks," she grins before taking a bite. "Holy Hannah! Jack, this is delicious!" she says once she gulps her food down.

"So, is it the way to your heart?" Jack wriggles his eyebrows playfully, and she giggles.

"Oh, Jack. You had that way paved, long before this chicken."

Their relationship is light and easy. Jack's surprised that they can keep it like that when both have enough baggage to drown at least a dozen of people. Somehow, they work. Or at least they are both strong-willed enough to make it work.

That night, Jack stays in her bed without her asking. When they cuddle together, his hand finds her abdomen and cradles the slight bump that's her belly, lovingly.

"Are you sure you are okay with this?" She asks again. He can answer it a million times, but her insecurities always find a way to pop back up once she's alone with her thoughts.

"Yes, Sam. The chance to cuddle up with you like this. To share the small changes, and the big ones like that one," Jack says, pointing with his nose to the gray blob on her nightstand. "They make this worthy. This little one of yours, it's only a bonus for me. You, giving me a chance, it's way more than I'd hoped for."

It's then that she notices she isn't having any more memories popping up. She moves to check the clock.

"What?" he asks, confusing by the sudden change of events.

"The memories stopped," she grins. "It lasted for almost twelve hours."

"That's good, isn't it? Maybe tomorrow we can try with some drops instead of a whole sip. In case you want to keep trying during the week."

"Thor was right about them, Jack. They are quite vivid, it's amazing to have them. At the same time, I wonder when I'll hit one of the bad ones."

"I'll be here whenever you want me here, Sam. I'll hold you, trough the good and the bad, always." He whispers. She turns around in his arms then, searches his eyes, and finds honesty. She smiles.

"I'd like that," she grins and pecks his lips. Jack claims her mouth. He must stop because he is laughing wholeheartedly. She has never heard him like this before.

"What?" she says. Only she can't help but laugh too. The sound of Jack's laughter, too contagious not to.

"It's just… that sounded so corny! God, I'm blaming you for that one, you make me one sappy old fart."

"Well, as long as you're my sappy old far," she grins. "God, I love you."

Jack stops laughing then, too stunned by her words. She covers her mouth with her hands, scared of what that could mean. He smiles.

"I love you too."

Asgard High Council.

**Orilla.**

**Present time**

"It appears we have reached a crossroad," Thor said, blinking once.

"I don't see a crossroad, Thor. I see the salvation of the Asgard," Penegal stated. "It's the development we all have been waiting for centuries."

"However…" Thor started.

"Scientists have studied the DNA of the offspring of the Tau'ri Samantha Carter. The DNA that was willingly given to us for its study," Assir interrupted him. "They have concluded the rarity found in it, might help us revert the damage on our cloned bodies. I agree with Penegal. I don't see the crossroad you speak of."

"Do we even know what created this rarity?" Freyr asked.

"It's a theory we juggled before, Freyr," Archon said. "That the offspring of a mutated goa'uld/human creature, and a mutated human/ancient one could hold the key to our salvation. By bringing together the power of creation of the Alterans, however, we haven't encountered such creatures before."

"Not until the Tau'ri's," Assir added. "We had requested them to conceive an offspring, so we could study it and hopefully save ourselves."

"Now, I understand Loki's obsession with them." Frey huffed.

Throughout the entire exchange, Freyja remained sitting quietly in her place.


	15. We could always share

Sam doesn't know quite how it happened, but as Jack is getting out of her bed, it dawns on her that's been over a month since they pretty much started living together.

"What?" Jack asks, stopping at the bathroom door.

"Are we living together?" Sam asks him, and he frowns.

Since the weekend when she started taking the memory recall liquid –MRL for short– Jack had never left her side. She keeps having this weird dream of them having a steamy and lengthy session of sex. It's not like the memories she's had. Sam knows it's most likely a wishful thinking inspired dream. The fact is that whenever she wakes up, real memory, or hot dream, Jack is nearby.

Jack looks at her, then looks at himself. He is standing in his boxers in her bedroom. His personal items are in her bathroom. His clothes for the day are waiting on the chest at the end of her bed. Right next to her clothes for the day. The one thing that settles that answer for him is knowing that his dress blues are hanging in her closet, right next to hers.

"Is that a bad thing?" He answers, avoiding a straight answer. He knows he has enjoyed this side of their relationship, maybe more than he is supposed to. However, if she says they shouldn't. If she thinks he should return to his lonely nights, he would.

"No?" Sam answers, sitting on the bed. "Should it be?" She worries. He sits next to her, quickly.

"We're both grownups, Sam. We're not breaking any rules. We both are free to decide where we want to take this."

"But the outcome of this will have an effect on my career."

"It will anyway, Sam," he smiles softly as she suckles her lower lip. "You will be a mom. Once this little one is born, you'll know for sure if you want to risk your life out there or not."

"Is it bad that I want to get back to the front lines?" She wonders.

"Not at all. You aren't less of a woman for wanting to fight for our planet. Also, you won't be less of a soldier if you decide that this little one needs you more than the front lines. It's a matter of choice, Sam. You are free to choose whatever the hell you want."

"And if I want you?" She asks, her eyes fixed on his.

"You'll have me. You'll always have me." He says, pecking her lips. A smile blossoms on her lips.

"So, we are living together."

"I guess we are." He grins back.

"Huh, Jack…" she asks as he stands again.

"Sam, if you don't let me shower, then you'll be late for your shower, and then we both will be late for work." He chuckles.

"We could always share," she says before she notices. She blushes under his surprised eyes. He moves forward, kissing her forehead.

"Yes, we could, but that's not what you wanted to say… what is it?" Sam takes a deep breath.

"Janet was going to set up everything again for my second ultrasound. She said she might be able to check the sex."

"Didn't you tell her Thor said it was a boy?" She shakes her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"I guess it slipped out of my mind. Can you come with me?" She winces as she asks.

"Yeah, sure, you betcha!"

"Thanks! Now hurry up, Colonel, or we'll both be late!" She says, pushing him out of bed.

At week fourteen, she now has more energy than she had during the first months. So, she gets their breakfast ready, while Jack showers. She grins brightly. She can't believe Jack O'Neill is living with her, and she didn't even have to ask him. They had simply slipped into this new development in their relationship. Just like they have with everything related to them, with a lot of trusts and feeling incredibly at ease.

They still drive separate cars to the SGC in most days. In case she needs to overstay due to some technical issues, or his mission roster changes. Both have already happened.

Jack has a mission scheduled in two days. Sam is already dreading returning to her empty home. She's almost sure she will end up sleeping in her quarters while he is out. 'Just in case they need me.' The last time he went on a mission, she remained on the base and worried non-stop. Sleep took a while because she missed the warmth of his body. The weight of his arm over her waist, and the feel of his hand that usually ended up sprayed open over her growing belly.

She smiles at that thought. She still isn't showing that much. But her BDU pants and jeans are starting to feel a bit too tight. Maternity clothes are just waiting at the corner now. The best thing was that now, she is feeling at ease with the pregnancy. Mostly because she knows Jack is there with her.

"Whatcha thinking?" Jack asks, placing a kiss on her neck. She shivers.

"What I will do when you guys are off-world," she half whines.

"God, don't remind me that!" He shudders. "I'm stealing a shirt or something that smells like you. That last mission was awful on my sleep schedule." She giggles. "What?"

"I just never thought I would hear you ask for someone's clothes to help you sleep."

"Don't worry, I'll leave some of mine behind too," he winks at her before he turns her around. "Go, get your shower. We're going to be late!"

Sam showers quickly, noticing they are late. They'll have to speed to make it. She dresses quickly, and when she's back in the kitchen, Jack already has her travel mug filled with her tea. He kisses her thoroughly before he walks towards the garage door. She moves towards the front. For some reason, he still parks his truck inside, and she always parks hers outside. They don't really care about those details.

As soon as they enter Norad RD, they both speed past the limits to make up for the time it took them to get out of the bed that morning. They sign in with a minute to spare and head down to get changed out of their civvies.

"Sam, Jack," Daniel says as he enters the elevator at some point. "Huh, another time you both got in almost at the same time?" he grins.

"Daniel…" Jack says in a warning tone. Sam just chuckles.

They have told no one about the advance of their relationship. Well, Janet knows Sam has kissed Jack several times and loved every single moment of it. But they haven't talked it out with their friends. They haven't even really discussed it themselves. Naming what they have, hasn't been a big priority. Being able to have it, has.

"How are you feeling, Sam?" Daniel asks, turning towards her.

"Can you believe I'm finally not feeling tired?" She beams.

"Can you believe she's finally not throwing up?" Jack adds.

"Really! That's amazing. When it's your next checkup?"

"Well, Janet wants to do a checkup herself sometime today. I also have a doctor's appointment for this weekend."

"Are you going with her?" Daniel asks. They know he is asking out of concern about her going alone. Not to pry in what they haven't told him, but he knows something has happened.

"Yup."

"Great. Sam, you know I'm available too if you need anything," he says as the door opens in the changing room's level.

"I know, Daniel. Thank you."

Jack searches her around lunchtime. Bringing a tray of food for three. They eat in silence for a while, enjoying each other's company. They know the bets around them are going crazy. That the rumor mill is vibrant with information about every little exchange they have. That's why, even now that she can resist the cafeteria, he still brings down food.

"What time is your Janet's appointment?" Jack asks as they munch jelly.

"Whenever she calls, I guess. You know, we are still trying to keep it quiet," she places her hand on her lower belly. "I won't be long until I have to come forward, though. I'll be showing it soon."

"So, whatcha say if, after your appointment on Saturday, we got to Denver to get you some pretty maternity clothes."

"Maternity clothes?" Felger asks, entering the lab looking astounded.

"How much did you hear?" Jack says, turning around to look at the smaller man. As usual, Felger squirms under Jack's menacing gaze.

"I-I just heard maternity clothes…" he answers. "Is someone pregnant?"

Jack keeps his eyes trained on the scientist, trying to figure out if he would be able to connect the dots. When it doesn't seem likely he will, Jack turns back to Carter again.

"We can have this chat later, Carter. Think about my question. I really have no idea what to get for an expecting mother. You know, that won't end up with her, angry with her only uncle." Jack offers. Sam grins, she doesn't know how he comes up with these stories, every time someone is about to catch them.

"Your niece won't hate you, sir."

"That's only because you don't know her." Jack grins. Sam does know Jack has a niece, two nephews, and a sister he visits every once in a while. Sam also knows that his niece is seventeen and has no boyfriend yet. Of course, she doesn't share that with Felger. "See you later, Carter. Don't overwork," he says, getting the tray out of there.

"I won't, sir." She turns her attention to Felger. "What can I help you with?" She asks. He shakes his head.

"For a second, I thought you could be pregnant…" He says. Sam's shocked expression tells him he is wrong. "It was just a thought, but you don't have a boyfriend, and you kinda need one of those to you know."

"Felger?" Sam calls him, stopping his mumbling about the impossibility of her being the one pregnant.

"Wait, Colonel O'Neill has a niece?" He asks, surprised.

Sam shakes her head, amused. Half of the base thinks Jack has no family anymore, but she knows better. Nodding for an answer, seeing that Jack had already admitted to having one. She takes the conversation to the issue at hand and hopes Felger thinks she can't be pregnant. Even then, when Janet calls her, she checks first if the scientist has left the base. Then she calls Jack.

They get themselves into the same room Janet had used the first time. The doc pats the bed as she turns the equipment on. Sam scrunches her shirt up and unzips her BDUs with a grateful sigh.

"You need to get maternity uniforms and daily clothes, Sam." Janet points as Sam makes more room for Janet's tools.

"I know. I might just get some bigger BDUs for a while," Sam says, wincing when the cold gel touches her skin.

"They won't last long if you ask me…" Jack says.

"I have to agree with the Colonel in this one, Sam." Janet points out.

"The Colonel almost got my secret out today," Sam sighs.

"What happened?" Janet asks. As she searches for the baby.

"Felger," they both roll their eyes. "That guy has an awful timing," Jack adds. "Want me to talk to him about it?"

"Nope, he mentioned something about needing to have a boyfriend to get pregnant and my lack of life," Sam grins.

"My niece's story was far more convincing, huh?"

"Yes, sir." Sam looks at the screen Janet is concentrating on. "Everything all right there?"

"It looks fine by me. You might need to corroborate that with your Doctor. Oh," Janet grins. "want to know the sex?"

"Can we confirm it?" Sam asks with widened, hopeful eyes. "Thor said it was a boy. But I'd still like you to check."

"Well, Sam…" Janet grinned. "It seems he was right."

**Orilla**

**Present time**

"You know what you must do, Thor." Archon stated. Thor looked around, studying the faces of the High Council.

"You want me to reach out to our allies, and tell them that the one thing we requested from them and they denied because of their own rules, has happened?" Thor blinks in disbelief.

"Precisely."

"How you pretend I explain that even if we are the most benefited of this experience Samantha Carter seems unable to remember, we still do not understand how this happened?"

"You don't," Freyja said. "Unless you know how it happened?" she offered.

"I don't," Thor blinked. "This idea of mating came from Loki. Are we certain he hasn't left the facilities?"

"He hasn't. Unless he learned how to exchange bodies, that's it," Penegal added.

"It's Loki we are speaking of. I wouldn't put it past him. However, he has no access to more systems than the ones allowed." Archon said.

"As O'Neill would say: 'I can smell Loki's hands in this business," Thor shook his head.

"I'll see what I can do. Hopefully, when I return to Earth, they will have accessed her memories."


	16. He is not my boyfriend

She is on the verge of breaking, and she knows it. Another month has passed by, and the stupid MRL seems to have stopped working. It's been two days since she had stopped seeing anything. One since she had last taken it. All Sam knows is she isn't anywhere closer to understand what the hell happened. She's angry, tired, and feels like all she wants to do is cry out of frustration.

Sam has learned that not knowing something that she desperately needs to know, while learning a whole bunch of other things she could've lived without knowing, is highly frustrating. She now knows she really sucked at lacrosse. That one of the few boys that followed around had a crush on her and she didn't understand that was possible, at that time in her life.

She remembered how scared she felt when she noticed the blood of her first period. How their heart rate spiked up when she piloted her first plane. She knows how painful losing her mother was for her dad and Mark. How her brother looked far worse than she did when he learned their mom was dead.

To add to it all, Sam knows exactly what Thera and Jonah did every couple of nights. Jonah's touches are almost identical to the ones of her dream. She theorized then that the dream was coming from these memories, and that's why they seem so vivid—a mix of wishful thinking and forgotten truths.

She still hasn't found a way to tell Jack precisely what had transpired under the grime of P3R-118. She sighs. She has accepted Janet's offer to have lunch together.

Sam looks at her BDU jacket, the one she is wearing around to cover up the fact that she believes it is showing a lot more than she needs. She sighs, today she's feeling hot, and she really doesn't want to wear it. Yet, on the verge of week nineteen, she can't merely pretend she had a bit too much to eat.

"Here you are," Janet says. Sam sighs. "What's wrong?"

"I'm feeling a bit hot." Janet's hand finds her forehead in seconds, and Sam chuckles. "I'm just feeling hot. I'm sure I'm not feverish. Besides, I thought the trick of the hand on the forehead didn't work."

"It won't tell me your temperature, but it will certainly tell me if you are hot to the touch. You aren't, by the way, so I don't need to drag you to the infirmary to check your temperature."

"I think is anxiety," Sam huffs, lowering her eyes embarrassed.

"It most likely is. So, let's get you some food, Sam." With a nod, Sam stands up and grabs her now larger BDU jacket and buttons it up.

"How do I look?"

"Like you are wearing your boyfriend's hoodie to school," Janet grins. "It looks good on you, as everything does," she adds with a roll of her eyes as they walk down the corridor. "Speaking of boyfriend, when are they scheduled back?"

"He is not my boyfriend," Sam says, but she can't help the big smile that takes over her face.

"Why not? It's not like he isn't going to every single medical appointment with you, or that he hasn't been living with you for the past two months." Janet points out since the elevator is empty. Sam blushes fiercely.

"I- I guess he never asked?" She says, noticing how silly it sounds. "God, he is my boyfriend, isn't he?" she grins.

"I'll say so, yes." Janet grins. "You look utterly happy about that too. I'm glad." She says as they walk towards the commissary. "So, when is SG-1 scheduled back?"

"Two days from today," Sam sighs.

"You miss it," Janet states as they go through the line.

"Terribly. Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all," Janet grins. They remain quiet as they go past some other officers, and until they sit on a corner table, that's far away from every other officer around. "And him?" Janet asks.

"God! I think I miss him the most," Sam grimaces. "I can hardly sleep when he isn't there."

"You should go home tonight, Sam." Sam starts to open her mouth to speak, but Janet raises her hand. "No, hear me out, I know staying on base feels like you are at ready in case something goes FUBAR. But your bed is far more comfortable than the ones at the VIP room, and I'm sure you must have something that smells like him waiting for you there. Maybe even a pillow you can hold."

"I guess I could give it a try," Sam huffs. They talk about Cassie and Janet's last date, one that seems to be working for Janet finally.

"So, she met Doctor Liam Van Moss. How did she take it?" It's Janet's turn to grimace.

"She hates him."

"I'm sorry."

"I just want for myself a slice of what you seem to have been enjoying Sam. Is that too much to ask?"

"Considering it took me seven years, and that something I can't remember has taken me away from the job I love, I'll guess not?" Janet laughed.

"I guess I am asking much! Promise me you'll go home. Call me if you need anything."

"I promise."

Sam works during the afternoon. Her mind wandering between the doohickey in her hands and the idea of trying the MRL once more. Even if Jack isn't there to watch over her. At the end of the day, she gets home.

She makes some dinner, gets a shower, and buries herself in a hoodie that smells like him. She tries to keep her mind from the MRL by reading. But it's still early, and she knows a drop would get her two hours tops of memories if it works.

Deciding she can take it. Sam grabs the dropper they have been using, dropping a single drop onto her tongue. Another hour goes by, and no memories pop in her mind. She sighs, deciding she will need to wait until Jack's back and then for a free day. Then she can take a sip and see if she is just getting immune to the workings of the liquid.

She sighs, closes up the house, and turns off lights as she walks to her room. She gets in her most comfortable pajamas and makes herself comfortable in bed. Bringing Jack's pillow close to her.

She feels the thinness of the mattress as she stretches, feeling her entire body hum happily with the afterglow. She notices other parts of her body, she feels the warm lips that caress the back of her neck and sighs happily.

"Turn around, Sam." He whispers in her ear, biting her lobe softly. She does as he asks. She always does. She can't help but stretch again, as his eyes land on the naked expanse of her body. His eyes darken, and his pupils get impossibly dilated at sight. "God, you're gorgeous."

Feeling gorgeous under his stare, she also feels empowered to do her own share of looking. Her eyes see powerful tights covered in the thinness of linen fabric. She follows the path up and can't help but bite her lips at the bulge in his pants.

Gulping before continuing her exploration. She looks up into well-defined abs until she reaches his face. She groans, noticing kisses haven't been many since they met in this weird place with metallic walls and floors. Sam couldn't care the less about how strange the room is. Not when all she wants is to remember the taste of his lips. The feeling of his tongue moving in time with hers.

Concentrated in what she wants, Sam kneels on the thin bed, hissing as it hurts her knees slightly. Then, she lowers his head for a kiss. His mouth searches her. His tongue caresses every space it can touch. Her mouth and tongue move in time with his. Her hands find his hair and his rest on her hips before he brings her impossibly close to him.

"You are unfairly dressed," she whispers as she feels the fabric against her tights.

"That's because I have more planned for you," Jack grins before he gets back at kissing her. Moving her down until she is lying on her back, he trails a path down her throat. He stops to pay attention to welcoming breasts, and when he is about to move down. She stops him.

"You must be feeling strained with everything you've done to me. With no attempt at release," Sam whispers when he looks up with a small confused frown. As if to attest to her words, he shivers. "Jack," she whispers and sucks her lower lip. He wonders what's going on in the head of hers.

"Sam, I want to taste you…. I need to taste you," Jack mutters. They gaze at each other until a small mischievous smile appears on her face.

"Then, it's only fair if I get to taste you too," Sam adds, sliding back on the bed to get some space for him to join her. "The pants need to go, though."

"Yes, ma'am!" Jack says promptly. He quickly gets rids of his pants. Feeling a bit of pride when she looks down at him with a predatory smile on her face. He lies on the bed, turns to his side to face her, and they look at each other, feeling a bit awkward now. Sam grins.

"Relax, Jack. We have done this before, and in far worse places," she tells him.

They both frown for a second. Both know it feels like they have. Yet, they can't remember a single time they shared a bed naked or dressed until this. Sam kisses him, bringing them both out of their half-confused, half-aware states.

Soon, he is traveling down her, and she bites her lip. She feels the need to return the favor and pats his shoulder to remind him of his promise. He bites the skin just below her hip bone before he places himself above her.

His mouth finds her center, and she aims to get him as vocal as she has been. His fingers move in a slow torturous pace inside her. While his tongue moves rapidly, driving her insane with the differences of the rhythm. It's the combination of his skillful tongue, the languid movement of his fingers, along with knowing she's pleasuring him at the same time, what makes her climax again.

He lets out an "Oh, God!" as her orgasm hits, and the half pant, half moan sends a vibration through him that topples him over. She lets him go as he keeps moving, making her ride impossibly perfect. She can almost feel the smirk on his face, even if she can't really see him.

After a while, he moves away from her, kissing the way up her stomach until they are once again facing each other. Her hand finds his hair, and she brings him down for a much-needed kiss.

"Jack, make love to me…" she whispers.

Besides Sam, Jack stiffens for a second at her whispered words. Before he notices, Sam's fast asleep. He places a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he replaces his pillow with his own body. The idea of her dreaming of making love to him stirring all sorts of emotions in his already altered mind.

He hopes the dream doesn't hit him tonight. Jack isn't sure he'd be able to stop himself if he wakes up from it. With her there, making those soft sighs from her dreams.

Jack wakes up as he feels observed. He blinks his eyes open, trying to win over his exhaustion. He sees her blues looking at him in wonder.

"Hey," he says.

"Hey," she grins.

"You weren't at the base when we got back," Jack mutters. "It was odd."

"What are you doing here?" She asks. She sees a flinch of pain.

"I thought you wanted me here… I can go."

"No, I mean, back!" she grins. "I thought you still had another two days out there."

"Well," he rubs his face tiredly with the back of his hand. "Daniel figured out that the rocks were some sort of inter-galactic scam."

"A scam?"

"Yup," he yawned. "Something about being set up to keep people away from town. Searching for something that didn't exist. Some kid told him it worked every time."

"You should get back to sleep," she smiles.

"Not without a kiss," he manages to wriggle his eyebrows.

"Janet says you're my boyfriend," she lets out after pecking his lips. He snorts, surprised.

"Aren't we a little too old to call me a boyfriend?" He grins.

"Partner?" she offers.

"Sam, you're the love of my life. Whatever you want to call this… I'll take it. Just don't kick me out of your bed, house, and life."

"Never."

"Good." They look at each other for a while.

"The vial isn't working anymore." She confesses.

"Maybe there aren't any more hidden memories?" Jack offers. "Anything on Baby Bump?"

"No. Jack? What if I can't remember? What if the Asgard can't help me with this one? There are at least billions of males out there. It could be impossible even to them to pinpoint who the father is."

"Does it matter?"

"I don't know."

"Look, I'll be the father, Sam. I don't care if it isn't mine, I love this Bump already as much as I love his mother." She beams at him.

"Then, you get to explain it to my father," Sam says. Turning back to her other side, as he brings her close to him. His nose plays with her neck and she lets out a sigh. "Oh, and a date… we need a second date." She mumbles.

She is fast asleep then, and he smiles. He can think of worse situations than her father and a date. Maybe, after their second official date, he can finally fulfill the whispered sleeping wish she left out.


	17. I thought you were the Astrophysicist one

There was a knock on her lab door, which was odd, to say the least. People usually just came and went knowing she was there. Most of them waited for her to stop doing whatever she was doing before they spoke. But knocks, those were rare.

Well, except for Jack. However, his knocking had a certain cadence to it, and she knows this one isn't him. 'God, I'm totally whipped by this man,' she thinks as she turns around. Squint on her face, wondering who on Earth would knock.

"Major Carter?" It's an airman she has seen at the Stargate lower levels checkpoint.

"Yes?" The guy blushes.

"Ma'am, this was left for you at the entrance door," he says. He blushes even more as he passes her a white box. "We scanned it for any danger. We found nothing wrong with it. We didn't know what to do with it. We called General Hammond, but he wasn't around. So we talked with Colonel O'Neill since he is the base 2IC and all. He says it was okay."

"Thank you, airman. Please leave it on the table," Sam beams at him. Even if he says they had taken the precaution, Sam takes all her gadgets out. Half an hour later her test shows nothing harmful or dangerous with it. "Hmm." She frowns.

"Geez, Carter… anyone would think the package did something to you," Jack grins. She turns around and finds him leaning against the doorframe.

"Why I believe you have something to do with this?"

"I authorized it if that's what you mean…." He tries to play cool, but he knows she knows. "Come on, open it."

She takes the lid off and squints at the contents. Inside there's a lovely dress and tickets. She grabs the latter, frowning in confusion as she turns towards Jack. There's a half guilty, half hopeful expression on Jack's face that he tries to cover with a coolness in his stance, but it isn't working.

"Tickets to Colorado Springs' Philharmonics concert?" She asks, trying to hide the amusement of seeing him that nervous. He shrugs. "In Colorado Springs." Jack cocks his head slightly and blushes adorably.

"I thought we could go?" he offers, walking closer to her.

"So you had something to do with this…" she points out, and he sighs.

"Can we go?" Jack asks.

"Isn't this in Colorado Springs?" She asks again.

"We-we aren't in the same chain, and we're living together. So, why wouldn't we be able to go to that?" He huffs. Jack switches his weight from one leg to the other one and looks at the floor for a second.

"Because you hate the Philharmonics?" Sam offers as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah… and?"

"You hate the Philharmonics." Sam states. She doesn't even try to keep the amusement out of her voice now.

"I still don't see your point there, Carter." He wonders if he screwed this one up. She notices the worry in his eyes. She moves closer to him and brushes her hand against him. In a touch, no one would see as out of the ordinary for them.

"Why would you want to go, Jack?" Sam whispers. His eyes widen as she calls him by his name. "I'm sorry, sir." She adds quickly, noticing it only added to his awkwardness.

"Don't be… we are kinda discussing a personal matter here. Even if it is over concert tickets," Jack grins. "I don't want to go... per se. But I know you love it, so I thought it would be a great second date."

"Jack… that's soo…."

"Since I only could get tickets for tonight. I figured I could get you a dress. So you don't have to search for something that fits when we get home."

"God, you are such a romantic guy." She beams at him.

"Only for you," he winks. "So, you better be ready to leave early, Carter! This is something I'm not sure how often I would make happen."

Jack knows she is neck-deep in research. So he showers on the base, and when it's time, he finds her in her lab. He slowly takes the doohickey away from her hands, not listening to her protests.

"Close that thing, Carter. You can come back to it Monday morning." He grins, grabbing the box he had delivered to the base. She sighs, shaking her head follows him out. Locking the B-3 door for the weekend.

"Isn't a bit late for a first date?" She wonders as they drive down Norad RD.

"Second."

"Oh?" She can't contain the smile that spreads on her face. "So, the movie thing was a date."

"Yes?" He says doubtfully. Jack shakes his head. Wondering what is it about Sam has that makes him feel so insecure around things he would normally do with ease. Granted, he hasn't been precisely dating anyone for years. Though he had taken out a girl or two home at some point after his failed marriage… He grimaces when he remembers that it was around seven years ago.

Still, he's terrified he might screw things up with her. He doesn't know what he would do if she simply kicked him out of her life. Her hand finds his, tightened into a fist.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I thought I lost you for a second," she grins. She knows she did. She noticed how tense he became for a moment. "So you didn't answer. All things considered, isn't it a bit late for a second date?"

"No?" he answers. "It can be just a date if that seems more appropriated for you?" She thinks it's endearing that he seems so worried about something as silly as this.

"I don't care if you want to call it first, second or date," she whispers after a while. "All I care about is that it's with you." She feels the tension leave his body before she teases him. She sits back and watches him for a bit. "Now, really, Jack. Why the philharmonics?"

"The truth?" He asks, stealing a glance towards her.

"Yup," She grins. Jack sighs.

"Your eyes shine when you listen to classical music, Sam. It's amazing to watch. So I thought, why not watch it happen live?"

"You are really one of a kind!" She pecks his cheek, then she makes herself comfortable on his shoulder again. When they reach her house, he ushers her to the shower while he gets dressed. He waits for her in the living room, and his jaw slacks at the view.

"You are gorgeous, Sam." He says, taking the few steps separating them quickly.

"You don't clean up half bad yourself, Jack." Sam gets to say as her hand finds the lapels of his suit, and his lips find hers. He groans.

"We need to go, or we'll be late."

As they jump into Jack's truck, Sam doesn't notice the two overnight bags that are waiting in the backseat. Jack is happy he doesn't have to explain.

Jack's right. Her eyes shine brightly as the philharmonics play. Sam leans forward in her seat, hands over her knees. She finds a comfortable position. He knows she feels this music differently. She enjoys every second of it. He can see the emotions that flick on her face as the song progress.

Jack hates it. For him, its brain-numbing. It's too many strident sounds mixing with too many grave ones. It makes his heart beat wildly for no reason. But her grin… her grin is gigantic. He can't help but feel he has done the right thing. He could watch her be this happy forever.

She kisses him lovingly when the intermission starts. She knows by the way his shoulders have stiffened that for him, this is a massive act of love. Her eyes fill with tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jack asks, caressing her cheek softly.

"Nothing. It's ... I can't believe I fell in love with such a wonderful man."

"I'm nothing wonderful, Sam," Jack says, giving her a self-deprecating smile.

"You are… to me, you are," Sam whispers. Then she brings his hand over her belly. "To us, you are nothing but perfect." She pecks his lips, and a second later, she grimaces. "I hate to cut this lovely moment short, but I need to pee." Jack chuckles and stands up, offering his hand.

They walk out to the lobby. As Sam disappears into the Ladies' room line, Jack goes to find them something to drink. People start walking back to the theater, and he goes searching for her.

"I'm here," she whispers. Jack turns around and finds her extended hand. They lace their fingers together. Then, Sam turns around and starts to walk towards the exit.

"Sam, intermission is almost over," Jack says, confused by her actions.

"I know."

"Then why are we going the wrong way?"

"The one I love has already been played, Jack. You've managed to sit still for all of it. Now, let's go. You sacrificed yourself so I can come. I can, too. So we can go." She grins. "That kinda rhymed."

"Yeah, kinda did. Are you sure? I mean, I already spend money on those tickets," he trails.

"Do you want to stay?" She asks, looking at him in the eyes. Expecting him to tell the truth, but daring him to lie.

"God, no!" he whispers, and she laughs.

"For a moment, I thought you would try to lie to me. For the record, if you said yes, I would call Janet so she could come to check you out. Come on, let's go."

"Okay, let's go. But the dinner reservations I made were for after this."

"I guess we could walk around or drive around for a while? Maybe even get there and wait by the bar or something?" Jack agrees. They walked to his truck, then they drive around. "This is nice."

"It is."

An hour later, they are parking in front of the fancy restaurant Jack had booked for them. Sam whistled.

"Fancy."

"Hey, I had to go all-out for the second one. Although I was told that maybe the third one is the charmed one."

"Who knows, Colonel? Maybe you get lucky earlier." She grins, and he stops breathing for a second. He pecks her lips, and they walk in.

The setting is perfect, with low lights, candlelight on every table. The food is to die for. Sam regrets that she can't taste the wine because she is sure it would be amazing too. Jack also gets water for his drink, and it warms her heart that he is so thoughtful.

Once there's no way she can eat more. Jack pays the bill, and they walk out. They get to his truck, and he starts the engine.

"Thank you, Jack. This night was perfect," she says, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"I thought you were the Astrophysicist one…" he grins.

"Huh?"

"The night isn't over yet, Doctor Carter," he gives her a mischievous smile and drives away.

She knows he isn't taking them to her house. They've already gone past the roads that can get them there. It's not his either, because he turned right and not left in the proper street. She frowns, confused.

The general direction he is taking will get them to the Garden of the Gods. She doesn't know what he could have in store for them there. But then, they drive past that too.

"Where are we going?" she asks, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.

"Just a few more miles." He grins, then she sees it.

"What are we doing here?" Sam asks as he parks in front of the Glen Eyrie Castle, a historical building that also is a hotel.

"I thought we could have a night away," he grins. She looks at him in shock. "Was it a bad idea?"

"No… I just… I thought…"

"Speechless, huh?" He smirks before worry hits him again. "It wasn't a bad idea, right? I mean, we are kinda used to sleep together anyway, and I thought…" she kisses him to stop his blabbering. "Not a bad idea then?" She chuckles.

"Wait, I don't have any clothes… not that I think I might need them," Sam smiles mischievously at him and his breath hitches. "Let's go," she adds and gets out, not turning away.

Jack takes a deep breath and then a second one before he finally gets out and grabs the bags from the back seat. She smiles at him as she spots him entering the reception area. He places a kiss on her cheek, then lowers the two duffels onto the floor. She frowns for a second, but the guy at the front desk is already smiling at them.

"We have a reservation for O'Neill. Two Ls." He adds the last part just to make Sam smile. They don't speak much, only answering the questions that arise as they check-in. Then they follow a young man around the castle until they reach their room.

"Whoa! I have never been to something so luxurious before!" Sam says in awe once they are alone.

"Motherships are covered with gold," he points out, getting a punch on his arm for it. "I guess you are not interested in a night on a mothership then."

"No. I'm actually interested in how is it possible that I have a bag of clothes." She squints at him, and he blushes. She definitively loves making him blush.

"I… kinda asked Janet to get one ready for you. I didn't want you to think I went through your underwear drawer or something like that."

She stalks towards him. Her hands rest on his shoulders. The tips of her fingers playing with the hair on his nape. She lowers his face. Jack's lips are millimeters away from hers. Then she smirks.

"You should've." He lets out a surprised gasp as her answer before her lips clash against his.

Sam takes her time exploring his mouth. They've done this dance several times, and they have learned every single millimeter of each other's mouths. She suckles his lower lip, making him moan. There's something about their relationship that hasn't changed since the beginning. Jack respects her too much to take advantage of her. So, she knows she must be the one who makes the first step.

She's secured in his arms. Sam knows she isn't going anywhere as he deepens the kiss. So, she lowers her arms, and she finds the way to his abs. Sam moans as she caresses him, but reaches up towards his chest and then above to his shoulders. Until her hand is positioned in a way that she can tug his jacket off him.

He stops kissing her. His lips are as swollen as hers. His eyes are not only clouded with desire but wide in surprise. She raises her eyebrow, challenging him to say something. He simply lowers his arms and lets her get rid of his jacket.

Biting her lower lip, she offers him her hand, and he takes it. She walks them to the bed, pulling him against her body. Soon, she's lowered down softly on a comfortable mattress.

Not soon enough she feels him everywhere as he trails kisses down her body. His hands caress all the available skin. Clothes get out of the way slowly, as they both decide to take their time divesting each other of the last veils into the unknown.

"I need you, Jack." Sam moans as he kisses her no longer flat abdomen. He reaches down, tasting her and getting spams, pants, and groans of her overexcited body. "Jack, please." She adds, tugging his hair up.

"You can do that later," she throws out, not caring about how needy she sounds. Jack groans, but moves upwards. Kissing his way up, until his lips stop a breath away from her mouth. He looks at her and slowly joins them.

"Oh, God!" Sam mumbles, not taking her eyes off his until he kisses her. They start their own kind of dance. Her climax brings him almost to his own. But then, she does a thing with her hips, he doesn't expect, absolutely tipping him over.

"I love you," he mumbles to her ear.

"I love you," she answers in the same fashion, keeping him tightly against her.

They both are too out of it to notice this didn't feel new, but rather old and perfectly practiced. Sam grins, "it must be the Jonah and Thera thing," she mumbles before she drifts in a peaceful sleep.


	18. Everyone's watching us

Sam feels her skin getting covered by goosebumps, and she sighs. Jack is placing soft kisses on her neck as he caresses her side softly. His hand stops when he feels her stirring awake. Jack’s fingers spread right under her breast, and he brings her closer, taking in a deep breath.

“Good morning,” she moans. Turning her head enough to try to see him.

“Good morning, indeed,” Jack answers with a bright smile. He propped his head on his arm so he can see her. Sam grins, her hand finds his cheek and caress it softly before she finds a way to pull him in for a kiss. “This morning is getting better and better,” he grins once the kiss is broken. Jack lowers his hand to feel her bump.

“You think I’m going to have one of those big baby bumps, that’ll be hard to hide?” She chews her lower lip, and he chuckles.

“I think whatever it happens with it, you are going to look amazing. You always do.”

“Really, Jack,” she deadpans.

“Sam, your bump isn’t as big as you think it is. It’s most likely just a self-conscious reflex because you haven’t told anyone. So, you are just afraid they’ll figure out without you saying anything,” Jack pecks her cheek. “For what I know about pregnant ladies, yours most likely won’t be huge. You are tall, lean, and extremely well fit. Those things count.” She suckles her lower lip, considering his words for a second.

“So, you are saying I see myself as fatter than I look because I’m paranoid?” She frowns. Jack chuckles.

“No, Sam,” Jack says, caressing her face. “That’s not what I said. Look, when we get home, let’s measure it. Then you’ll know how the kid is growing. We can do it every week so you can have a registry of his growth,” he offers.

“Home?” She tears up a bit.

“Yeah, you know… the place where we live?”

“And you want to registry his growth?” She whispers, half in awe.

“I know you would love to do it, so why not?”

“Whatever did I do to deserve you, Jack?”

“I ask myself the same thing every day,” he grins.

“You ask yourself what you did to deserve you?” Sam chuckles. He simply rolls his eyes at her.

“You know what I meant… geez.” He huffs. She finds his hand. That throughout the exchange found its way to caress her baby bump tenderly. She turns around again, snuggling into his inviting warmth, placing their linked hands in the top of the slight curvature of her lower abs that show someone is growing inside her.

“This is nice,” she sighs in content. “Who would’ve thought, I would be able to be like this with you.”

“I did. Well, I hoped. Then, there’s the bunch of people placing bets on that pool, Walter been running since we’ve met.” Sam chuckles.

“That bet is the worst kept secret in the whole SGC.” She grins. “You know, I really hoped I would have an explanation for the whole baby thing before I had to come clean.”

“Let’s not dwell on that now. You’ll tell whoever you want to tell whenever you want to share it. It’s not your duty to inform everyone on base.”

“I guess. You know what I want to know?”

“What?”

“If this place’s breakfast is as fancy as this room,” she grins.

“Then let’s go find out,” Jack says, standing and offering her his hand. They walk hand in hand to the shower. It’s almost an hour later when they’re finally ready to start towards breakfast.

“I still can’t believe you got Janet to pick out my clothes.” She grins as she looks down at the low-cut blouse she’s wearing.

“I can’t complain about the view.” Jack grins. “You look beautiful, Sam.”

“Everyone’s watching us,” she says, feeling a bit self-conscious. As she places a thread of hair away from her face.

“So, who cares?” Jack shrugs, placing a kiss on her cheek. She shakes herself out of her doubts. Together they walk down to get their breakfast.

After a lovely breakfast, they walk around the fields that are part of the compound. They find a place to sit under a nice-looking tree, after a couple of hours of walking around. Jack sits with his back against the trunk. Sam sits between his opened legs, resting her back on his torso.

“There’s a question I want to ask,” Jack says, after a while of sitting in silence. “Actually, two.” He adds.

“Go on…”

“Before you fell asleep, you mentioned Jonah and Thera. It’s not the first time you’ve done that. What did you learn?” She gulps, sighs, and moves away from him—seating in front of him with her legs close to her chest.

“You won’t be mad?” she wonders, picking some grass from the ground.

“Why would I? I mean, we had no real control over what they did, right?” He shrugs.

“Right. Still, I kept something from you.”

“Or I simply didn’t prod,” Jack points. “Sam, I know you learned something. You said it wasn’t bad, but your comment…”

“What did I say?” Sam frowns, interrupting him.

“It must be the Jonah and Thera thing.”

“Oh.”

“So, what’s the Jonah and Thera thing?”

“When we made love,” she smiles, not quite believing it happened just a few hours earlier. “Did you feel like it was something we’d done before?” She asks. She sees him thinking about it for a while before he nods. “It makes sense. The memories I saw of our time there… well, let’s say that last night was not even half as creative as the things Jonah and Thera did.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope.” She shakes her head, his eyes widen.

“Then you must tell me what they did so we can try them.” He grins, he moves forward and kisses her.

“You’re serious?” She asks once they break their kiss.

“Yeah, sure! You betcha! God, Sam, trying anything with you is way better than any dream. So, if you have something you wanna remember as you… let’s do it.” She blushes, thinking about the several episodes she’d unlocked and nods.

“Okay. I can do that.” She agrees. “So, what was that other thing you wanted to know?”

“The boys wanted to have a team night tonight. I told them we had nothing planned. I also warned them it would be up to you.”

“Let’s do it. It’s been too long since the last one.”

They have lunch at the hotel. It’s past two when they start their way home. As he said he would, Jack measures her belly. Sam realizes he’s right. She isn’t showing as much as she thought she was. She tries then one of his BDU jackets that hangs in their closet and grins.

“Janet was right. It looks like I’ve stolen my boyfriend’s jacket.”

“Well, your boyfriend won’t complain about it because you look hot in it. You would look hotter with nothing under it.” He wriggles his eyebrows playfully.

“Kinky! I like it.” She grins back. “But not today, Mister. We need to get ready for a house full of guests.”

“Full? It’s only the boys and the Fraisers. Yeah, you are right, full of guests.”

Before they know it, it’s already five pm, and the guys are at the door. Janet follows with a ten-minute delay.

“Sorry,” she grins. “That one was on the phone with a boyfriend,” Janet adds, looking towards Cassie. Then, she clears her throat and signals Jack to go away with her eyes. Jack chuckles at the not-so-subtle Doctor.

“I’ll check what the guys brought for the movie of the day and get the pizza orders sorted.” He says, placing a kiss on Sam’s cheek. “So you girls can talk.”

“So? How was it?” Janet grins. Sam blushes. Looking towards the side to check that the guys aren’t listening.

“Oh, God... Janet, it was so perfect. He is so good and so…” Sam’s eyes widen, and she is about to make some gestures when Janet’s hands stop her. The Doctor grins as she understands where Sam’s going.

“Honey, I’ve done his physicals several times. I know, but you know what they say. Sometimes you’ve got the equipment, but you don’t know how to handle it.” Janet points out.

“He knows, Janet. Holy Hannah, he knows!” Sam adds. They both giggle then.

“You’re not off the hook for telling me more, Sam. But we’ll need a girl’s night for that,” Janet says. As they walk into the living room to start their night.

It’s late when they’re alone again. They cuddle in her bed. She lies half over him, knowing full well they will end up spooning. For the moment, she’s happy to listen to the steady beat of his heart.

“So, tell me what happened between them…” he asks. Sam plays with his chest as she tells him all the things she remembered for the time they were mind stamped. It feels quite cathartic to get to share these memories with him and not having to hide them anymore.

“That’s the last thing I have,” she sighs.

Sam knows the things she’s told him have affected him in the same way it’s affected her. She can see it in the way the boxers he has on strain. However, instead of doing any of the sceneries she mentioned, he gently turns her to lie on her back and kisses her softly.

“Tonight, it won’t be about them,” he whispers before he kisses her slowly.

He takes his words seriously. It isn’t until she had screamed his name a couple of times, and there’s no coherent thought in her mind that they manage to fall asleep.

As most of the days since that first night, when they snuggled up together to sleep, they dream the same dream. They see the metallic room, and they don’t pay attention to it, because there are other more important things at hand. Like discovering their bodies and perfecting their knowledge of what made the other gasp, pant, moan, and writhe under their ministrations.

Due to all their room activities during the weekend. They wake late in the morning on Sunday. Jack’s hand travels downwards as soon as he feels Sam’s awake. The path burns her skin and sends shivers down her spine. He caresses her most sensitive spot, taking her breath away. She moves her hips, enjoying every single movement of his digits. He kisses her neck, bites her earlobe, and she moans loudly.

Then they hear her front door opening then. Worry beats need as her hand steadies him to stop him from moving. He stops at the same time. They move out of the bed slowly; she grabs a shirt and throws it over her naked form. While Jack moves, finding his long-forgotten boxers.

He signals her he’s going first. She opens the door, and he walks out. Grabbing the first thing he finds that will work as a weapon of sorts. Sam shakes her head, knowing that the vase in his hands most likely will end shattered. She happens to like that one. However, she follows him silently. They clear her office and the guest room before they move to the more open space of the living area.

“What the fuck?” Someone shouts, stopping them both dead in their tracks.

Jack knows that voice too well to like it. The vase Jack was holding hits the floor loudly as he raises his hands in surrender. Jumping back as the vase shatters in several little pieces. He sees Sam also jumping back. They both take a stabling step away before they turn to the origin of their chaos.

“Dad? What are you doing here?” Sam asks, blushing furiously.

“What am I doing here? What is he doing here?” Jacob shouts.

Jack always knew that Sam’s dad made it to General too fast. That there must have been a reason for it. Now that he is standing half-naked in front of him, the man looks terrifying. Jacob comes closer to Jack, and he can see the fire in the shorter man’s eyes.

“God damnit! You know I must report this! Fuck, Sam! This could ruin your career.”

“It won’t,” Sam says firmly.

“He is your Commanding officer, Samantha. Tell me how it won’t affect your career.”

“I’m no longer part of SG-1. I’m not under Jack’s chain anymore, dad,” Sam explains.

Even with the surprise that her words cause him, Jacob’s eyes are trained on Jack’s. Jacob’s breathing is labored, and his jaw is tightly clenched. Jack can only gulp.

Jacob takes a minute to process her words before he trains his eyes on hers. She looks at him, expecting an apology or some more questioning. He looks at her, then back at Jack, and shakes his head. He lowers his head.

“Go, get dressed. Now!” Selmak’s voice says. “I’ll make us some coffee, and you’ll give Jacob some explanations,” Jacob shouts as they disappear towards the room.

**Orilla**

**A few days earlier**

“Loki!” Freyja says, entering his cell. He barely turns around to acknowledge her. “Loki, the scientist have agreed that the DNA created from the mix of the male and the female contains the strain we need to save ourselves!”

“I’ve said that so many times before,” he blinks. “What’s the Council decision?”

“Thor is on his way to talk with them.”

“Do they know it was you?” Loki blinks.

“No, they know nothing about it.”

“They do now,” Penegal says behind her back.

“You betrayed me?” Freyja asks, looking at Loki. “After all I did, you betrayed me?”

“No, Freyja. In your eagerness, you betrayed yourself.”


	19. Why is she off caffeine?

“This is so not what I had in mind when telling my dad,” Sam mumbles as enters her room. Behind her, Jack sighs.

“You mean, you planned to tell him?” He asks, getting a punch in his arm for his question. She looks at him for a second and shakes her head.

“What exactly were you thinking, would happen when dad showed up?” Sam squints at him.

“I would give you plenty of space to bond?” He offers a guilty expression on his face. She snorts.

“You mean you were thinking of going back to your house, or staying at the base.”

“Kinda?”

“Jack, you told me you would be there for my family things. Heck, you even agreed to go to Mark’s with me.”

“But, you didn’t go…” he points out, and she sighs. “Besides, Mark is not dad. Dad knows me,” Jack says, terrified about the idea of facing Jacob Carter again.

“Suck it up! Let’s go. We need a shower… and the sooner we are out. The faster this will be all over.”

Sam huffs, not even ten minutes later. She looks at her image in the mirror. Knowing there’s no way in hell her dad won’t notice her bump.

“What’s wrong?” Jack asks.

“Everything is so damn tight,” she says, getting rid of her blouse and changing it for another. Jack watches her go through several shirts with a half-amused expression.

“You know, you kinda need to tell him that too.” He points out, “I told ya we should go buy some maternity clothes.” The last blouse ends up on his head, as she makes a ball of it and throws it at him.

“Don’t help me, will ya?” Sam huffs. He gets near her, places a kiss on her shoulders. Then he grabs something from her closet. “A summer dress?”

“Well, I’m more surprised that you have one of these than you are of me offering it to you. Hey, I’m no fashion designer, but I’m sure these are supposed to be tight in the boobs and then flow down. Besides, it is either that or a big sweater.” He shrugs. She rips the dress out of his hands, and he shakes his head.

“Watcha say if I go wait with dad….”

“Sure, fine. Whatever?” Sam adds with a roll of her eyes. Jack stops her from moving and embraces her tightly.

“Everything’s going to be all right, Sam. I’m here. We’ll do this, and it’ll be fine.”

“You really think so?” She asks. If there’s something that can make her feel insecure, it’s talking about her relationships with her dad. 

“Yeah,” Jack says and pecks her lips. He winks at her, lets her go, and walks towards the door muttering, “If he doesn’t kill me first.”

He is happy she hasn’t heard him, or if she did, pretended not to. He closes the door behind him, takes a deep breath, and walks to the kitchen.

“Can you tell me why exactly you need two coffee machines?” Jacob asks as he pours some coffee into three mugs. Jack grins.

“Sam’s off caffeine, Janet orders,” Jack says, moving around to set the machine Jacob hasn’t used. It’s not a lie, but it’s not the complete truth either. “So, one is for me, one for her decaf.” Jacob squints at Jack.

“Why is she off caffeine?” 

“Guess Janet wants her ability to keep a schedule now, or something like that,” Jack shrugs. Jacob looks at him, studying the younger man.

“Is everything okay with her? She’s not sick, is she?” Jacob asks. Jack takes a deep breath, feeling the worry in the former General’s words.

“Dad,” Sam says then. When they turn around, she’s standing behind the island with a raised eyebrow. “If you want to know anything, you don’t need to drill him, you know?”

“Hey, I just found a man in minimal clothes in my only daughter’s house. It’s my duty to question him.” Jacob grins and walks towards her. He places a kiss on her cheek. “He says you are off caffeine?”

“Yeah. I had some issues with sleep, so I took it out of my diet. Janet said it was better if I kept off it for some months. I guess I’m finally getting used to this awful version of coffee.” Jacob chuckled.

“Your mom complained throughout her pregnancy about the terrible taste of decaf.”

“Speaking of mom’s pregnancy, why didn’t you have more kids?” She asks, remembering that memory of hers. He gulps, then takes a deep breath. He looks at Jack, who pretends not to be listening. As he concentrates on making them all something to eat.

“We couldn’t.” Jacob dismisses. “Why do you ask about that now?”

“Oh, a few weeks back, I remembered something. We were returning from someplace, mom was crying, and you mentioned adoption. That’s all.”

“You can go talk at the dining room. I’ll have breakfast ready soon.” Jack offers. Jacob nods, and they walk away.

“There’s no need to explain anything, dad. As I’ve said, it was a memory. Until that popped up in my mind, I never wondered why it was only us. I was under the impression that since you already got a boy and a girl from one pregnancy, it was enough.”

“Your mother loved every second of her pregnancy. We didn’t know it was the two of you until you were born. We simply thought you were going to be a big baby. Anyhow, I know what your mom told me. She said after she gave birth, she wanted to keep pushing. Doctors said it was the placenta, but it turns out it was Mark.” Sam smiles.

“I bet that was a huge surprise.”

“No, kidding! We didn’t know at the time. It seems something teared up as she gave birth or the pregnancy wasn’t good for her uterus. Whatever it was, it never properly healed. I can’t remember all the medical terms they used back then. A couple of years later, she got pregnant again, but it was… ectosomething.”

“Ectopic.”

“Yeah, that. So, she went to surgery. When they opened her up, they found that not only her pregnancy was ectopic. Her uterus prolapsed, so they were forced to give her a hysterectomy.” Jacob sighed. “It was heartbreaking because she wanted to be pregnant again.”

“I’m sorry,” she says. Placing a hand over her dad’s, fighting the tears that want to get out. ‘Damn hormones,’ she thinks, as she cleans them with the back of her hand.

“Don’t be. We had both of you. It’s at least a kid I didn’t mess up after she left us.”

Jack joined them then, with a plate full of waffles in one hand. Several jars between his arm and his chest. Sam grins at him and helps him lower the things on the table. Finding him utterly adorable, she pecks his lips. Jacob clears his throat. The couple blush before they sit around the table.

Jacob keeps his eyes trained on them. They eat in silence for a while until Sam sighs.

“Spit it out, dad.” She mumbles as she takes another bite of her waffle.

“I’m just waiting for you to explain to me how this development isn’t damning your career. Please tell me you didn’t choose him over your career.” Jacob says seriously. Sam’s fork clatters when it collides against the plater.

“I thought you liked him!” Sam hisses, clenching her jaw tightly. Under the table, Jack’s hand reaches for hers. Giving it a light, reassuring squeeze. She takes a deep breath then.

“No offense, Jack, but Sam, you can do a lot better than him.”

“None taken, I think the same.” Jack agrees easily. He smiles when Jacob gives him a confused frown. “Don’t get me wrong, Jacob. I love Sam with all my heart. If she found another guy that has even a little less baggage than I carry, I’d be happy for her.” 

Jacob nods. He can’t help but feel that at least on that side, Jack seems to be exactly what he wants for Sam. Someone who would put her above his own needs and wishes. However, he knows Sam isn’t very good at picking partners. She always had a thing for the fringe ones.

He steals a glance towards her as Jack speaks. He can see it in her eyes that it’s not the infatuation he always thought it was. It’s also was not just pent-up sexual tension. If the lack of clothes was something to go by. Sam smiles brightly, and she can’t help but place another kiss on Jack’s cheek this time.

“I love you too,” she adds before she turns to her dad. Sam tries to decide if it was a good idea to throw the pregnancy in between or not. “Something came up. I’m currently the R&D Chief. We needed to learn more about the things we’ve brought back. It took us out of the same chain of command, and this happened afterward.”

“How long has it been since you been reassigned?” Jacob wonders.

“Four months?” Jack says, looking at Sam for confirmation.

“Almost,” she grins. “This, however, didn’t happen until two months ago?”

“Don’t look at me. I’m not the one keeping up the dates.” Jack grins. Jacob rubs his face tiredly.

“Sammie, you being out of the field isn’t a reason to stop exercising,” Jacob says nicely. Sam can’t help but blush.

“She hasn’t,” Jack says.

“Jack!”

“What?” he asks, her eyes are open wide as if telling him he has just screwed it up. 

“What?” Jacob asks, squinting at them. “What are you guys not telling me?”

“Dad, I’m…” she blinks, “pregnant. Thor?” She says, noticing that she and Jack are on the alien’s ship.

“Greetings. There’s something I need to discuss.” Thor blinks.

“Thor, if it’s related to Sam’s memories… It didn’t work.”

“It didn’t?” He says, looking confused.

“No,” Sam sighs. “I remembered nothing that would justify this pregnancy. I really don’t know how it could be.”

“I was hoping you would be able to shed some light onto it,” Thor sighs. Sam and Jack exchange a glance since they have never seen the little gray alien sigh before.

“Thor, buddy. You are scaring the crap out of us by stalling.”

“I’m sorry it wasn’t my intention. I’m having difficulties finding words to describe the situation.”

“Is it bad?” Sam asks. “Janet and my OB/GYN said the baby is doing great.”

They watch as Thor gets to his controls. Moves a rock and then turn towards them again.

“The baby is in perfect health condition. Our scientists said that if nothing has changed in the DNA, we took. It’s most likely the baby will keep an excellent health condition for the whole duration of his life.”

“Then, what’s up with all the mystery?” Jack frowns in confusion. Thor blinks as he read what looks like an alert on his screen.

“If you haven’t remembered using the liquid,” Thor asks. “Is there a chance you might have a recurrent dream that could explain it?”

Sam blushes deeply. There’s that very explicit and incredibly hot dream she’s been having since A9P-63M. “I have,” she says, avoiding Jack’s eyes at all costs. “What does it have to do with it?”

“Is this dream of sexual content?” Sam sighs.

“Yeah,” she says, looking at the floor. Jack’s head snaps towards her, he sees she’s embarrassed by this dream of hers. He shakes his head. ‘It couldn’t be as erotic as the one I’m having, right?’ he thinks.

“Then, that’s the reason why the vial didn’t work.”

“Thor, buddy… I’m not following you. Dreams can’t get you pregnant.”

“Dreams can’t. Recurring memories can appear as a dream, especially if someone attempted to delete them from your mind.”

“God…” Sam’s eyes widened. “Oh, boy… Hammond won’t like this…. My dad! Holy Hannah!” She paces in shock, mumbling a bunch of things Jack has issues following.

“Major Carter,” Thor calls again. She stops, turns towards the alien with eyes filled with worry. “We know who the father is, because of the mutations in the human DNA. The one I didn’t know where it came from in our first conversation. However, we don’t know how or where your pregnancy happened. Do you recall when these dreams started?”

Sam looks at him, then steals a glance towards Jack. Then she nods.

“We call it A9P-63M.” She says, “I can show you the gate symbols if you take us to the control room.”

“Why that name rings a bell?” Jack asks out of the blue.

“It was the last mission I went, Jack.” She whispers. “Thor, if I remember that day as dreams. Would the other person remember them too?”

“Most likely,” the alien says. They both turn towards Jack.

“What?”

“Have you had some recurring dreams, Jack?” Sam asks with a knowing look in her eyes.

“Oh, crap! Dad’s going to kill me.”


	20. Share that bed, you say?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting so close to the end :D

"Holy Hannah, Thor. If what you say is true. We can end up in jail for breaking military rules," Sam says, then bites her lower lip worriedly. They are in shock, to say the least. "If it's his child, then we broke fraternization rules at some point. Unless we can prove it was artificial insemination."

Jack lets himself drop on the metallic floor of Thor's ship. The floor, the walls, now seem utterly familiar as he hears them talk. Sam's pregnant with his son. Holy cow! He'll be a daddy. Sam is his baby momma. He feels so overwhelmed. Then it hits him. He remembers the dream. What he saw them do so far wouldn't give her a baby.

"As I've stated, Major Carter. We don't know what happened to both of you. When I left Orilla, we verified that Loki was still locked up."

"There has to be something else, Thor. Another explanation. Something that you can give us. That won't end up with us being court-martialed."

"Sam…" Jack says, and she turns around to find him on the floor. He looks torn, and beyond worried. "It's not that I'm not ecstatic, knowing that your bean is mine. But… this dream of us…. Do you remember the end of it? Because I'm sure as hell, I couldn't put that bun in the oven with what I've dreamed."

"You're ecstatic?" She asks, as her eyes well up.

"It's yours… and now it is also mine. I couldn't ask for more." She kneels in front of him and pecks his lips.

"I love you," Sam smiles. She blushes fiercely, then. Jack grins since he now knows just how far that flush runs. "Uh, no. You are right, what I've seen… couldn't get me pregnant."

Thor watches them from afar, trying to understand the weird human emotions.

"If they tried to erase your memories, as I'm afraid they did. I might be able to retrieve them for you."

"You can do that?" Jack frowns.

"I can try."

"If it won't harm it, let's do it," Sam says.

"Very well, then. I believe you will be more comfortable in a different room of this vessel." Thor says. Before they can do anything, he beams them away from the main room.

They look around, there's nothing but the metallic floor, metallic walls, and a window that now shows the moon in the distance. The universe is utterly black. She notices the bed and gulps.

"What?" Jack asks. As she stops looking around and her sight gets fixated on one place. He follows her eyes and sees it. "Oh, boy."

Sam walks to it, sits on the bed as Thor appears inside the room. The bed creaks slightly. She can swear she's felt the thin mattress before.

"I'm ready," Thor announces. Blinking at the odd sight of Major Carter moving weirdly, as she tests the mattress. Her expression was as serious as when she was trying to figure out how to kill the replicators.

"Let's do it." Jack nods.

"The only way is to place you into a slumber. I understand you will be more comfortable if you are in bed." Jack wonders, if since the last time they saw Thor, the alien had lost his mind.

"Share that bed, you say?" Jack asks. Sam chuckles.

"It's not like we haven't been doing that already, Jack. Stop being nervous. You are making me nervous." He sighs. But sits beside her on the bed. Frowning when he too feels as he had experienced that kind of thin mattress hurting his knees before. "Should we lay down?"

"Yes." Thor blinks. "My systems show you are presenting all the symptoms of anxiety, O'Neill."

"Thor. Just do it," Jack growls. As they both shimmy their bodies to try to fit on the bed without touching each other.

"Anxiety and sleep are not a good combination, O'Neill," Thor points out.

Jack sighs. Sam knows he is beyond worried. She chews her lower lip before she cuddles up to him. Her head finds his chest. She can hear his heart beating wildly and places a hand on his chest.

Thor crooks his head, confused. As for how contact seems to have the means to lower their anxiety. Both heart rates get back to normal, and before they know it. They're out. The little alien looks at the humans before he disappears to attend to the alert that popped up on his systems.

Jack feels her head on his chest. Her hand traces lines and curves on his abs. He pulls her closer, feeling her body connecting with his. Her skin is completely devoid of anything that would serve to block him.

"Jack, please, make love to me…" she pleads again. This time looking up at him.

Her hair is tousled, her lips a bright red, eyes almost black. Her body is glistening with a thin veil of sweat. He knows their activities are responsible for her status. He knows every single fiber of his body was on fire just seconds before. He shouldn't be able to do what she asks.

"I'm not sure I can, just now, Sam," he whispers back feeling disappointed with his own nature. He knows he can't, not when they had just peaked minutes ago. Yet, her fingers graze his hipbone and light up every single cell in his body. "God," he groans as her fingers drift downwards, playing with him until he's alive.

He flips her on her back, and she chuckles as she bounces a little. The bed creaks and she feels the metallic built of the frame on her back. She doesn't care. She brings his head down, searching his mouth. Ravaging him, preparing him for her.

"Sam, we don't…" he says between kisses. "have protection."

"Military, Jack. I'm on contraceptives," she chuckles, as she moves her hips closer to him. Urging him to fill her where she needs him. He stops kissing her. Locking his eyes as he teases her entrance. Slowly, he completes her.

"Oh, Jack," she moans as he takes all over her senses. His next movement is slow and deliberate. She doesn't hurry him. They had climaxed before. So they keep it slow. Torturing each other with their want, building their way slowly, teasingly.

Instead of locking her legs around his hips, she turns her hips to the side after a while. Giving herself a better angle for his slow dance. He grunts in approval before his lips crash against hers again. Soon after, colors explode behind Sam's eyes after what feels like hours of the sweetest torture of her life. Her trembling body tips him over, but he keeps his movements slow. Until he can't move anymore.

He collapses on top of her. She takes his weight, embracing him tightly. She doesn't want to move, but his added weight over her hips isn't exactly comfortable on the hard surface they are lying on. She sighs. Jack blushes.

"I'm like a sack of potatoes lying on top of you," he whispers, making her chuckle.

"It's not you, it's this bed." Sam tugs him down for yet another kiss. "But I wouldn't mind if you raised yourself a little, so I can make untangle myself from under you." She grins.

He moves to lie beside her, and she snuggles up to him. They concentrate on each other. Assessing if the other is not awkward or confused about what happened.

"Are we okay?" Jack asks after a while.

"More than okay, if I say so myself. This is by far the best dream I've ever had."

"Yeah, the best dream ever." Jack agrees.

They frown then, sitting on the bed and looking around. There are metallic walls, a metallic floor, and a window shows them two moons shining brightly in the background.

"What the hell?" Jack says as he looks in the confused eyes of Sam. They both woke up at the same time. Similar frowns on their foreheads.

"Your bio-rhythm showed you were both awake," Thor says, appearing inside the room. "Have you remembered anything?"

"I guess so," Sam says as their frowns deepen.

"Could you find anyone involved in it? Besides yourselves?"

"No, but Thor… how many vessels you know that have this exact layout for rooms?" Sam asks.

"This room has been part of the Asgard design for many years. As we studied humans in several planets. We found it necessary to add a place that you would find yourself comfortable enough to sleep in." Thor provides.

"Thor, I think it happened on an Asgard vessel," Sam whispers. Thor blinks.

"I will need to see the address of the planet you mentioned before. I can compare it with the logs of all Asgard vessels. Then I could see if there was any available in the vicinity of the planet this seems to have originated from."

He beams them to the SGC's control room. Scaring the few airmen that were sitting around waiting for something to happen. The appearance of Thor, Colonel O'Neill, and Major Carter is not even in the list of some things. One of them jumps and turns the base alarms on.

"Oh! For crying out loud, Airman. Turn that damn thing off!" Jack shouts over the noise.

"Can I have your seat?" Sam asks the one sitting in front of the dialing computer. The airman nods eagerly.

Sitting, Sam quickly brings up the search software and finds A9P-63M. One by one, symbols appear. Thor takes out what looks like a tablet, makes some annotations, and blinks.

"I was afraid this could happen," Thor says. General Hammond reaches the last step.

"What's going on?" He asks, but when he blinks again. The trio is gone.

"Afraid of what?" Jack asks.

"Thor, what aren't you saying?"

"Major Carter, O'Neill. Before I say more. I will need to return to Orilla to harvest more information about this situation. However, before I can. There is something I need to ask."

"What?"

"It's the reason they originally sent me here. The reason we asked you to conceive a child before." He blinks, and Jack blushes.

"You never asked us to conceive a child…" Sam frowns.

"He did," Jack grimaces. "After the first Loki incident, they asked if we," he says pointing between them, "could have a child. I don't remember why they were so adamant."

"Your genetics, Major. You are the only human we know has survived a symbiote by her own means. O'Neill is the only human who has reached the Asgard world by himself. Between the two of you, you carry the whole spectrum of genetic make-up created by or from the Alterans."

"What does it mean?" Sam frowned.

"Years ago, Loki theorized that bringing both rarities into one being would create a primary genetic make-up that would allow us to revert some damage we did to our bodies. I'm here, in the name of the Asgard Council. To ask you for genetic material from your son once he is born."

"Holy Hannah! You did this to us and want us to help you?" Sam shook her head. "I don't think so." She finished embracing herself.

"Sam," Jack said. Reaching closer to her. He places his hands on her shoulders softly, calming her. "What if it helps them?"

"I won't allow them to hurt him."

"I won't either."

"There won't be any injury to the baby. What we need is part of the placenta or the cord that attaches him to you."

"Stem cells," Sam whispers. Thor blinks. "A cell that doesn't have a differentiation so can become any other cell." She provides.

"Yes. Stem cells," Thor blinks. "After seeing the alteration on the child's DNA. Our scientists believe now that there was truth in Loki's hypothesis."

They look at the alien for a while. Wondering if there was more to it than he was saying. Then they exchange a glance.

"Okay. We'll do it."

"There's one condition, though," Sam adds.

"There is?" Jack asks in confusion and she nods. "There is."

"Explain your condition. I will present your condition to the council," Thor says.

"We know something jumped at you when you saw the address. We want to know what happened. We want you or the responsible one to explain why I'm pregnant with his child. Why we couldn't remember doing the deed and help us clear our names with the military."

"And dad," Jack adds. Alien and Major turned to look at him. "What? You want to explain it to him?"

"And dad." Sam nods in agreement.

"You are correct, there was a vessel nearby when you were at A9P-63M. Does the timeframe fits with the current stage of your pregnancy?" Sam frowns.

"No, it doesn't," she sighs.

"We equipped some Asgard vessels with technology capable of maturing human embryos to a more advanced stage."

"What about healing a womb? Or getting rid of contraception?" Sam asks.

"Healing a womb, yes. I'm not aware of what is contraception is, in relation to a sexual encounter." Thor states.

"Ah, some hormones that prevent ovulation," Sam explained.

"Certain ships could fix that situation too."

"Is there any ship that can make us believe we were dreaming?" Jack asks, remembering the last part of their "dream." Thor blinked.

"There were some experiments done before. The primary goal was assessing if the human mind would perceive a combination of light patterns combined and a synthesized compound as a dream." He added. For a reason, Jack thought if he could, Thor would be clenching his jaw.

"Thor…" Jack said.

"I can't provide you more information, O'Neill. Not until I visit Orilla and I share this recent information I have available."

"Thor!" Jack shouted and sighed when he noticed they were back at Sam's house. "Great, just peachy."


	21. Asgard beam?

"Great, just peachy," Jack mumbles as he notices they are back at her house. Without not many more answers than they already have and with double the complications. That the baby is his and that it is about to reach the 21st week. Only points out the frat rules being broken long before she was removed from under his command.

That they have no proof or real knowledge of what happened, beyond the fact they had 'done the deed' is alarming too. They have no real recollection of what happened before they entered that room. Why they had so easily given into each other when they had years of practice on bottling up feelings and needs. Even when they went through several kinds of 'wedding ceremonies' and sacred bonding rituals in several dozens of planets, they had never given in. They had never thought about breaking the rules.

'Well, thought about it,' that he has. Several times and in plenty of formats but beyond his erotic dreams and suppressed desires. There was nothing more than a friendship between them before.

Sam suckles her lower lip, dealing with the same line of thoughts currently consuming Jack. The main one seems to be how are they going to win a court-martial. When there's not enough evidence to show that they were under alien influence. Mostly because they don't know that's the case. A frown follows. She considers how unbelievable it would be to say she didn't know she was pregnant because she couldn't remember having sex with her superior officer. Even if she was under oath. She lets out a worried whimper then.

That makes him raise his eyes and look at her. The love of her life standing there with a worried frown, suckling her lower lip while her hands rest protectively over her baby. Their child. Their son.

With his fingers, he raises her face to search her eyes. He sees the same worries he feels reflected in her face. He places his hand over her hands and smiles.

Jack smiles a bright, proud, loving smile that becomes contagious. It's impossible for Sam not to smile back. Soon, her grin is brighter than ever when he opens his arms and she rushes to him. She kisses him passionately. As if her whole existence depended on deepening the kiss and taste every single inch of Jack O'Neill.

Images of the dream/memory flooding them as they get lost in each other. One of his hands finds her hair deepening the kiss while the other finds her lower back and pushes her closer to him. He wonders if it's creepy. That knowing it's their son, the one growing between them, turns him on. But as she draws him closer, he stops thinking at all. Until they need to breathe. Jack's hand finds her cheek and the other one, her belly where her hand entwines with his.

"I can't believe it's ours. Our son… Not even in my wildest dreams, I thought…." He says, resting his forehead against hers.

A throat is cleared behind his back. Jack notices Sam's eyes widening in terror. Jacob enters the room from the kitchen to see them tangled in a loving embrace. He can't see much since Jack's taller frame cover most of Sam. But by the noises he had heard, he has a pretty accurate idea of what was going on. So, he decided to make himself know before he ended up walking in on something. That could traumatize all of them.

'Holy Hannah, I forgot Jacob was here!' Jack thinks. As he feels the terror settling in his shoulders.

"Asgard beam?" Jacob says. When Jack turns around to face him.

"Yeah. Thor paid us a visit," Jack grimaces.

"And he couldn't just appear on base as he normally does? For some reason, he had to beam you both up from Sam's home?" Jacob frowns.

"Yeah?" They both answer dubiously.

"Right. What is it really going on here?" Jacob asks in a stern voice, that leaves no space for doubts or fake answers. "You were going to say something serious to me before he saved you both. So…I'm listening."

"Dad…" Sam starts. She takes a deep breath and points him towards the couch. The two men follow her lead. She sits next to Jack. Their bodies are close together and she links their hands together. Another breath and a slight press on his hands happen before she continues. "I'm pregnant."

"You son of a bitch! I'm going to kill you!" Jacob says in a menacing tone. Sam raises her hand stopping him from continuing.

"You need to wait, dad. I'm sure you don't want your grandchild to be fatherless." She says. Jacob opens his mouth to protest but he closes it. He can't fault her logic on that one. He can't help to glare at Jack.

"It's complicated, dad," Sam huffs

"I'm sure all of us here know about the bees and the flowers, Sam! We all know there's nothing complicated in how a kid is made! There's a lot of complications that appear when you "accidentally" get one on the way."

"Dad, I-I just figured out minutes ago," she shakes her head. "We just figured out my baby is also Jack's."

"You just figured out it is Jack's? God, Sam. What have you been…?" The glare he gets from Jack stops him from continuing. Jacob rubs his face tiredly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't… you are a grown woman. I shouldn't have a fit because I don't agree with how you chose to live your life." Sam sighs.

"It's not that either, dad. The thing is… I didn't know how it happened. We didn't know how it happened until a few moments ago. Now, we don't really know why it happened the way it happened. Or why we don't have any recollection of it." Jacob thinks about what she is saying for a while, then he shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, but you are making no sense, Sammie." He adds after a while. She huffs. "Isn't there a start of this somewhere?" Sam takes a deep breath and nods.

"A couple of months ago we went to a mission to A9P-63M. After we came back, I started feeling, well, sick. Turns out, I was pregnant."

"You bastard!" Jacob snarls. "You said this thing between you happened two months. After she was transferred out of your command!" Jacob shouts.

"It did," Jack says.

"Trust me, dad. The most surprised person about this pregnancy was me. I couldn't remember how it happened." Sam blushes.

"So, you contacted the Asgards so you wouldn't have to face me?" Jacob asks not amused by the situation.

"Yeah. I didn't… I wasn't sure how I would explain it to you, dad! It was embarrassing enough telling General Hammond about it." Sam blushes and looks down at the floor.

"What did Thor say?" Jacob asks.

"Well, he said he couldn't tell me who the father was. That your grandson was healthy. He gave me something to get my memories back, but it didn't work."

"How you know it's his then?" Jacob frowns.

"Thor," Jack provides. "The baby has some weird things in his DNA. That seems to be good to help the Asgard."

"We don't know much, dad. What we know is that the weird thing pointed them to test it against a stored version of Jack's DNA. One they had in their systems. They got a positive match." She raises her hand. "Before you start screaming again, we don't know for sure how it happened. We have some memories of something happening, but we don't know when or how."

"Something happening? That you're pregnant means you broke frat rules!"

"We don't know. Not even Thor knew." Jack answers in a hiss. "Thor asked us some questions before he left for Orilla. He is trying to find what happened."

"The moment he gets back we should know for sure how it happened. In the meanwhile," Sam sighs. "We will continue as we are. Right?" She turns to look at Jack with a hopeful smile.

"Yes," Jack answers smiling.

"Does George know it's Jack's?" Jacob asks.

"No." They both say at once.

"It's not like we've had a chance to talk about this new development yet, dad. My guess is that it's for the best to hold that information until we know what happened. I'm sure I wouldn't just break frat rules just because."

"You wouldn't?" Jacob asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Dad, if I wanted to break them, I would've done it years ago. I didn't," she finishes rolling her eyes.

"You wouldn't. He might." Jacob pointed out.

"I've broken my share of rules before, but I wouldn't ever risk her career because I couldn't control myself. I respect her too much to abuse my power as her CO. I love her too much to force her to choose between her career and me." Jack answers.

"Fuck. That's a good answer, Jack. Very good answer."

"So," Sam says hopefully. "You think you can keep that a secret for us until Thor's back?"

"Only if you call me when he is. I can't wait to hear what the hell happened."

"Deal!" Jack grins, but Sam looks at her dad crooking her head surprised.

"What's wrong, Sam?"

"I'm just wondering if Selmak has something to do with you accepting it so quickly." She adds, Jacob dips his head.

"I did not. Congratulations Samantha, Colonel O'Neill. Don't let this old man fool you. He's ecstatic about it."

"Thanks, Selmak." Sam grins as Jacob's head lowers once more.

"I should've gotten rid of this old coot a long while ago," Jacob says jokingly as he shakes his head. "Really, Sammie. Tell me something. Are you happy with this?"

"To be honest, dad. I was terrified when I learned it. Then Jack stepped up and everything seems to have fallen into place. Janet, Daniel, Teal'c, and General Hammond are the ones who know about my pregnancy. They've all been just a call away, should I need them. General Hammond even gave me a cover story so I wouldn't have to tell everyone. When I wasn't sure myself about it."

"A cover story?"

"Yeah. He said I was moved out of SG-1 'coz we need someone playing with the doohickeys. You know those we keep bringing." Jack grins. "Bought us plenty of time to figure out what happened, not that it had worked until well, now."

"No one questions it, so it's cool." Sam grinned.

"I'm glad they all have you back, honey." Jacob smiles. Then he frowns. "What about Mark, does he know?" Sam shakes her head, horrified.

"I haven't found a way to tell him, yet. I didn't know how I would explain it. I missed Laura's birthday. The base was on hold because someone," she says looking at Jack with the corner of her eyes, "touched something that started a countdown and I had to find the way to shut it down."

"I said I was sorry!" Jack huffs, making her beam at him.

"Don't let her play with you, Jack. She most likely was thankful you did. So she didn't need to come up with a fake excuse by herself."

"Really?" Jack grins as Sam blushes because of her dad's words.

"Anyway, I was hoping you could go with me to visit him. I guess you can come too, Jack. Since you're practically family now."

"Do I have to?" He grimaces, but the stern look from both Carters makes him change opinions quickly. "When do we leave?"

"That's the spirit!" Jacob chuckles and stands up. "I made myself comfortable in the guest room while you were gone." He says as he walks towards it. Then he stops dead in his tracks. He frowns and turns around. "Did you say grandson?"

The couple beams at him.

"Yes, dad. Thor said it was a boy way back then. Both Janet and the USAF assigned Ob/Gyn confirmed it's a healthy boy." Jacob looks from Sam to Jack and then he grins brightly.

"I'm so going to spoil him rotten." He adds.

**Orilla**

**Present Time**

"Thor, what news you have from the Tau'ri?" Penegal asks as Thor enters the council room after returning from Earth.

"Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter have agreed to share what we need," he states.

"Excellent news then!" Archon says.

"In exchange for the truth of how it happened," Thor added seriously.

"I believe we all agreed we didn't know," Freyr said.

"Has nothing transpired since I've left? Hasn't Loki been informed? What was that alert about Freyja that I received when in Earth's orbit?" The other members of the council shared a glance before Penegal sighed.

"We've learned plenty, Thor."

"Then, what is the matter?" Thor blinked.

"You won't like it," Freyr added.

"Loki." Thor huffed and shook his head. "It's always Loki."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh, Jacob didn't kill him! xD


	22. You sure he won't bite?

Jacob tells them he has plenty of time to stay around. So it's by the end of the week that they finally leave for San Diego. Just like every time they visit Mark, they rent a couple of rooms in a nearby B&B.

All the Carters know that there is something like overstaying your welcome. It happens too fast if the three of them share the same place for too long. Adding a third USAF officer and a not quite noticeable baby on the way will only make it even more uncomfortable at the start.

Once they park in front of Mark's house, Jacob sees the terror settling not only in Jack but in Sam. She might be the older twin, but she's terrified of Mark's reaction. She loves him; he knows. But Mark's stubbornness is quite like hers. However, Mark's has been related to hate to the USAF, and all it represents for too long.

Jacob knows his son enough to understand he might not blame him anymore, but Mark has shifted the guilt towards the one thing responsible for him being late. He has spent years talking to Selmak about his family situation. He understands more now that he has someone to share it.

"Come on, the sooner we get out. The faster all this nervous vibe will be gone." Jacob says opening his door. Behind the wheel, Jack sighs.

"You sure he won't bite?" Jack jokes.

"I'm not so sure myself," Sam chuckles dryly. "But dad's right. Let's go."

Linda opens the door and grins at them. 'A Carter smile,' Jack thinks as they're welcomed inside the house by the teenage girl. She shies once she notices Jack and rushes inside to find her parents. Following Jacob's lead, they get rid of their shoes before moving inside. Not wanting to damage the wooden floors of the house.

"Nice house," Jack says, whistling.

"Thank you, handsome stranger," Lilah Carter says with a bright smile. "Sorry, I really have no idea who you are."

"I'm Jack O'Neill."

"Lilah Carter. Jacob, Sam. It's nice to see you!" She says. Then she frowns as she looks at Sam. She shakes her head. "Mark got a bit of a late start. So he wanted to shower before meeting you guys. Please take a seat."

Despite all the warnings Sam had given him, Jack finds himself relaxing in her brother's house. Her sister-in-law seems nice enough to him. Causing Jack to relax as he sits next to Sam on a loveseat. Linda returns brining a tray with water glasses and swoons at Jack. Making Jacob shake his head, amused.

Tension builds up the moment Mark Carter steps inside his own living room.

"Dad, Sam… hum… hi." Mark says frowning at the third person. The first thing he notices before Sam and Jack stand up is the way-too-close way they were sitting together. How the stranger's arm, rests around his sister's shoulders.

"Jack O'Neill." Jack offers as he stands up next to Sam. Lilah grins, as Mark frowns at the man. She pulls him to sit next to her and the bomb is temporarily diffused.

"So, what exactly is a Jack O'Neill?" Lilah asks and Sam blushes. "And why we haven't learned about him?" she finishes with a grin. Not quite comfortable with the situation, Jack grabs a glass of water.

"Ah. I… We… He…" Sam stutters. Jacob grins. Jack takes a sip of his drink if only to stop them from asking him anything.

"A Jack O'Neill is a Sam Carter's boyfriend," Jacob says. Jack splutters the water he was about to drink. Sam rolls her eyes as she pats Jack's back.

"Here we go again with the B-word," she huffs. "Jack and I are a couple, yes."

"Thank you," Jack says as he finally can breathe calmly again.

"And how long did you two dated before you became a couple?" Mark frowns.

"We've known each other for a while." Sam offers with a shrug.

"So, what do you do for a living since you've known Sam for a while?" Lilah asks. When the three of them gulp at once, she knows Mark will hate the answer.

"I'm a Colonel," Jack says. The Carters he knows since forever now hold their breaths. "USAF."

"Why is that not surprising?" Mark rolls his eyes. "Well, since my sister is a stickler for rules. I'll say, I don't have reasons to worry about her ending up in jail for breaking frat rules, right?"

Sam, Jack, and Jacob exchange a quick glance. Truth is, they don't know. For the sake of a nice weekend they had agreed they would answer as vaguely as they could. As they would if Hammond was the one asking them.

"Nope, nothing to worry," Jack says.

"Then why are you all so nervous?" Mark frowns. Sam takes another deep breath.

"Well, you have quite the reputation of not liking USAF Officers, honey," Lilah answers. "I was there when your dad and Sam ended up at the brunt of your hatred for the Air Force." Sam looks at Jack and he nods at her encouragingly, while he gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Ah, there's more." Sam grimaces. She wonders if anyone else is so scared of letting their siblings know about having a nephew on the way. She thinks not. "We're going to have a baby." Sam mumbles.

"You what?" Mark frowns as he had issues understanding what Sam said.

"You are going to be an uncle, Mark," Jacob adds, noticing Sam won't willingly repeat it since she's too afraid of his answer.

"Really?" Mark says, surprised. "Well, then congratulations, sis! Come here!" he says, standing up and opening his arms. Sam's confused by his actions, but she embraces her twin nonetheless. "God, I remember you always wanted a kid. I'm glad you get to have one after all. I thought you wouldn't because of your career."

"So, you aren't upset?" Sam wonders.

"No, why should I? Don't you want to have a child?" Mark frowns.

"I, yes." She nods against his shoulder. "I thought you wouldn't like the idea…" Mark sighs and lets her go, dropping on his seat again.

"Sam, I know I'm an ass. I know I was one for years towards you and dad." He lowers his eyes and Lilah caresses his back softly. "It came to my attention that you both tried to fix our relationships several times during the years. I never tried. I never searched for you."

"My mom passed away some months ago," Lilah adds.

"God, I'm sorry Lilah, I didn't know." Sam gasps.

"I know. We didn't tell anyone. She was old and very sick, so it wasn't surprising." Lilah sighs.

"Lilah's loss made me realize that you guys aren't that old and definitively are way healthier, but as far as I know you're in the front-lines. So, I know any day I could get a call to learn one or both of you are gone." Mark gulped. "Then it would be my fault, not knowing you guys at all because I failed to reach out."

"Mark… you..."

"I started therapy," he grins. "I know I'm pained and carrying around the weight of something that happened when we were thirteen. It weighed me down for years. It made me conflictive and now I'm improving. I understand better now that I have no control over anyone else's life. No matter how much I want to. Not even Linda and David's life are mine to control."

"Sounds like you grew up a lot, since the last time we saw each other," Jacob says.

"Yeah," Mark chuckles. "Just got there some twenty years too late, right?"

Lilah is the first to laugh, and then they all follow. The night ends up being far more relaxed than they thought it would be. Two hours later, they are finally back to the B&B.

"That was so odd," Sam whispers to Jack, as she cuddles up to him.

"Was it?" Jack asks.

"Yeah. I mean, of all the things I was prepared for. I never even considered Mark being nice to all of us all night."

"He is right, though. Do you even keep tabs of how many times we've been too close to not make it, Sam?"

"Not anymore. After ten, who wants to keep counting?" she chuckles.

"Exactly. Besides, you both tried. Relationships, any kind of them, need a two-way effort. It's impossible to have a relationship with someone who doesn't put some effort into it."

"So, how does it work for you and your sister?"

"Well, he had to bond when we lost our parents the same day. "

"You mentioned them being in a car accident."

"We bonded, but when I married Sarah, we lost touch for a while. She simply couldn't stand her. I reached out, and she recoiled every time. She met Charlie and all, but we would see each other only if I was alone. Until I went MIA."

"That must have been a shock for her."

"Yeah, when I came back. She was there for me as much as she could. We fixed our relationship then. Now we both make an effort to keep in touch. No matter how far away we're from each other."

"That's nice."

"It is."

"You think she'll like me?" Jack grins.

"I don't know anyone who doesn't like you, Sam."

"Everyone has someone who hates their guts. No one is that nice."

"Maybe you are," Jack adds, making her snort.

"I'm not that likable. I'm not pizza for crying out loud!" Jack laughs wholeheartedly at her outburst.

"God, I love you so much."

"I know." She grins. As she cuddles up to him, even closer than before.

"Sam?" He asks in a whispery tone.

"Yeah?" She answers in the same manner, not even raising her head to watch him.

"Marry me?"

"Okay," she says.

"Okay?"

"Yup."

"Cool." Jack grins.

"Yeah. Besides, either you would offer it, or my dad would've made you. Shotgun wedding, you know," she jokes. He goes silent for a while.

"Yup, dad would definitively kick my butt if I don't."

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and make love to me." She orders. He flips her on her back as soon as she finishes. He kisses her slowly and thoroughly. Savoring every second of her compliance. Bits of the dream/memory flash in his mind as she moans his name as a mantra of sorts. Until he claims her mouth to keep her from being too loud.

He gets rid of her clothes slowly. Taking care of each new inch of skin that appears under his touch. Her body is covered with goosebumps and there's nothing she can do to stop it. She rocks her body, trying to have him where she wants him. But he doesn't follow her instructions.

Instead, he takes his time moving away from her center. Concentrating on her legs first. Then slowly moving up to her thighs. When she is whimpering with need under his touch. He moves to her abdomen and finally settles on top of her.

"Tease," she whimpers, as her body shivers in expectation of what's about to happen. He kisses her, knowing there's no way she'll be able to keep quiet. Not when she is overwhelmed by desire. He's right. She moans loudly as he sheathes himself on her.

Her hands grabbing his back tight. He knows he'll be sporting fiery nail marks in the morning. Her nails claw into the sensitive skin of his back. Making him moan as loudly as she had before. She grins sexily and suckles her lower lip. It's arousing to know she can have him moan like that with such a simple touch.

They try to keep it slow, not only so they won't crash against the wall. Not wanting to upset her dad who's in the room beside them. They want to draw the moment out for as long as they can. Teasing each other until it's no longer possible and the only thing left is the end. It feels like hours of thrusts and undulating hips and at the same time feels like no time at all. Jack finally walks her to ecstasy. She clenches in a way that makes him follow her willingly.

Taking special care not to land on her belly. Jack collapses on the mattress beside her. Bringing her body close to his again. Sam kisses his chest as her hand slides over his heart. Jack places a barely-there kiss on her temple. They both release a contented sigh before they slowly drift to sleep.


	23. And you already know Loki

Sam's hit the third trimester and there's still no news from the Asgard. The thing is, she needs to come clean. She's pretty sure everyone knows she's pregnant. They're just giving her the time to announce it on her own terms.

"What's eating you, Carter?" Jack asks. He finds her with a doohickey in her hands but a lost gaze on her face.

"Sir?" She says, turning around noticing him.

"I haven't seen you this worried since before the weekend at Mark's."

"God, can you believe that's been already six weeks ago?"

"Time flies when you are having fun." He grins. "Seriously, what's in your mind?" She sighs, rubbing her belly. He just knows exactly what it is. "We should just announce it, Sam."

"I…" she sighs. "I think I'm afraid of what they will say."

"Why?"

"Because…" she answers as if that's all the explanation she needs to give. He chuckles. "I guess it will be easier if we've got some answers…. You know, at least to be assured we won't end up in a nice court-martial for it," Sam sighs.

"I guess that would be…"

"Colonel O'Neill to the briefing room. Major Carter to the briefing room." Walter announces before Jack can finish his sentence.

"You think?" They both ask at once and then they rush to the briefing room. In there Hammond is looking not quite pleased. There's not only Thor, but there's another two Asgard in the room. Except for Thor, the other two are just holograms, Sam reckons.

"Sir? You called?" Jack says feeling a bit weary.

"Yes. While we waited for you, Thor has explained that you already know who the father is, Major." Sam blanches. "And so do you, Colonel."

"Sir… I…" Sam starts.

"I've mentioned to General Hammond that we agreed the Asgard would explain the development. Once we finally understood how it happened." Thor blinks. "It was also mentioned that I would need to explain the same to Jacob Carter."

"Take a seat," Hammond says to the two officers that look about to pass out. "For what I understand, it's an O'Neill in the way."

"Yes, sir." Sam blushes.

"Then, congratulations to you, Jack. Now, can you finally explain how this happened?"

"Yes," Thor says. "This is Freyja and you already know Loki."

"I knew it!" Jack hisses. Loki looks at him. For a second, Jack thinks the little alien looks amused.

"They are responsible for this situation. Loki convinced Freyja of acting on our behalf to complete a process we had asked about before. One that was refused. Loki's theory about your offspring is correct. According to the new models, our scientists have developed based on the strand of DNA we have from your son, he will be able to save our race."

"So, you used us to save yourselves?" Jack points out looking at Loki.

"Theoretically, we never used you, Colonel. Parts of the process had to be done willingly. There was no other way for it to happen." Loki points out. Hammond turns towards the couple with widened eyes.

"So, you broke the rules," Hammond states.

"It seems so, sir." They nod, feeling a bit ashamed.

"But you don't remember how it happened?"

"We do… now. Well, after Thor helped us remember it. You know, the last time he was around." Jack adds.

"Sir…. We didn't know how to explain it. What we remembered…. It doesn't look like it was forced."

"Yet, it was," Thor says. This seems to lift the heaviness out of the room. "Freyja."

"Months ago, you were on one planet under my protection."

"A9P-63M," Sam states. "The last mission I went on, sir."

"That's the name Thor gave when I was being questioned," Freyja agrees. "Before, let me confide that all the experiments applied to you have been all used before in humans for their own happiness."

"Under their own free will," Thor adds.

"Precisely," Freyja said. "I was studying the effects of certain elements on the human psyche, and how they affected reproduction. I was also studying that thing you call love. I also studied the way reproduction happened and how to shorter the term. Human reproduction is highly interesting. However, we are also aware that several females can't reach to the end of the pregnancy. In other cases, the primary cells can't attach to the female reproductive organs for growth."

"Freyja has never before done anything out of the Asgard rules. I convinced her that the safety of our own species was worth the risk. Especially when what we needed was a combination of all the experiments she had done before. None of them were against the rules."

"What about the lack of consent in our parts?" Sam frowns.

"Well, if either of you were against it, you wouldn't be in this situation, to begin with," Loki points out.

"What do you mean?" They both frown.

"Let me start from the beginning," Freyja says. "Loki had explained to me about his plans. I had my doubts until I received an alert that both DNAs we needed had entered one temple they had created for me. I traveled to Nashwa to find them. The first thing I did was scan their bodies for any issues they could have."

**A9P-63M / Nashwa**

**24 weeks ago**

"You think you'll be done with those rocks any time soon, Danny boy?"

"Jack! This is fascinating!"

"Ack. Yes or no, Daniel…."

"I think we'll need another day."

"I was afraid you would say that." Jack sighed. "Carter, T, report back to the SGC and let them know we are remaining here for another twenty-four hours. You hear me, Daniel, that's all you got."

"Party pooper."

"Geez, at least tell me this thing that's so fascinating will give us a nice honkin' gun to kill the Goa'uld."

"Actually…. I don't know what they say. I'm just copying the text and by the extension of it, it will take a while to finish."

"Are you really telling me we are stuck here for another 24 hours because you want to carbon copy some more scribblings for your collection?"

"I've seen these before, Jack. I just need my diaries and books to translate it. Besides, I could've asked for those and we would be here for weeks."

"Well, thank you."

"Do we at least know whose ruined temple is this?"

"Nope."

Jack walks around as he tries not to touch anything, but without doing anything by himself he sees a light scanning his body.

"Daniel?" he calls, and Daniel turns away to see him standing unmovable surrounding by a greenish light. "Is this thing supposed to happen?"

"I haven't seen it before. What did you do?"

"I? I was walking, Daniel!"

"What's going on?" Sam asks as she enters the temple ruins followed by Teal'c. She takes a couple of steps near Jack and a second light stops her. "Whoa! Any idea if this is good or bad?"

"Nope. Not a clue." They remain still until the light goes off on Jack and he breathes out. "I'm still alive. If that helps."

"I guess we'll get the long checkup when we get back," Sam sighs. Teal'c walks towards Jack and nothing happens. "Perhaps it only works for humans?" To test Sam's theory, Daniel also walks towards them. Besides her being released, nothing else happens.

"Maybe there's something about it in the writings, which I can't translate until we get back."

"Okay. Carter, get any reading about this thing?"

"No, sir. Everything seems normal." They both frown. "Sir, we might be better off outside the ruins? At least the two of us, since they didn't seem affected by that light."

"I'll keep Daniel Jackson under my watch. I will bring him in a timely manner so he too can get some sleep." Teal'c says.

Since it's early, they walk around and find nothing but blue skies, a nice lake, and more trees. After a while, they head back to the outside of the temple where Teal'c has now settled the two tents. They smile at it.

"I'll get a fire ready," Jack announces.

"If you don't mind, sir… I need too…" she blushes. Grinning, he nods.

"Watch your six, Major." He says out of tradition. The only time he hadn't said that to one of them, Daniel ended up with a major rash in his ass when he touched an irritating leave. Sam chuckles before she disappears.

She finds an enclosed space that will do for now, and she squats. The next thing she knows is that she's strapped into a bed and there is some weird-looking machinery on top of her.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll heal you." A soft voice says, and that's the last thing she remembers. She blinks again, and she is squatting in the same place she was before; she makes herself presentable again and returns to the ruins.

"That took you long enough," Jack grins. "Couldn't concentrate?"

"Huh? I wasn't gone long."

"It's been an hour, Carter." He points out, and she checks her watch.

"I guess I lost track of time. Sorry, sir."

"No issues, I was just waiting for you so I could go." He grins. He comes back not even ten minutes later, and she already has some coffee brewing. Teal'c is finally dragging Daniel out as the night starts to settle.

"I could just go back inside and continue."

"Daniel… one night away from there won't do you wrong. If those light thingies let us, we can all help you carbon copy whatever wall you are still missing."

They remain out there enjoying the mix of the coolish weather with the warmth of the fire and the absolute silence surrounding them. Sam yawns after a while.

"You should go to sleep."

"I can take first watch," she says.

"I believe we are past the first watch already," Teal'c points out. "You look tired Major Carter; I can take two watches."

"Teal'c is right, go sleep, Carter. I'll take an extra hour and Teal'c can take an extra hour." She squints at them.

"I can take fourth."

"Nonsense, by then the sun will be out, anyway."

Sam doubts for a second, she doesn't want to seem weak. But she's been working with those guys for years and she's sure they won't think less of her because now that she's away from all kinds of doohickeys she can finally relax enough to sleep.

She crawls into the sleeping bag and the next thing she knows is that she is in a warm and pleasurable environment. The sounds and lights make her feel every inch of her body as is it was on fire.

"Welcome, this is a trial of love. Please get changed and wait for your soul mate." Sam blinks and notices that changed implies nothing more than a half-transparent black robe. She can't help to think 'thank god I waxed!" before she simply feels aroused by being there.

The lights change again. "Follow the path," the same voice says, and she follows the richly enlighten passageway into a room with metallic walls and floors. She sees a bed in there, and there's a window. If she wasn't drugged in arousal, she would've noticed she was in an Asgard ship, most likely orbiting the planet she was in before.

Back on the planet, Jack's first watch finally ended, and he gets inside their shared tent as quietly as he can, so he won't wake her up. He notices she is not in a second before he blinks and he finds himself in a warm, pleasurable room. He feels his nerve endings on fire and for some reason the only thing he can think about is Sam.

"Welcome, this is a trial of love. Please get changed and wait for your soul mate." A voice says, and he finds there are only some linen pants nearby. Without fighting the environment, he gets rid of his clothes. He doesn't know for sure why he takes his underwear off too, but he does before he dons the pants. He groans as the soft fabric caress his aroused skin.

"Follow the path," the voice says, and he follows the passageway as a drug addict would follow their fantasy. He enters a darkened room; he can smell her. He knows she is there. He grows impossibly harder and then he sees her.

She takes his breath away, and then she's standing in his personal space. So close that he knows she had felt his arousal. Her eyes are dilated, her lips parted, and he can't help himself and brings her impossibly close before in a swift movement they kiss.

In the control room of her ship, Freyja feels giddy. She agreed with Loki that she wouldn't impregnate the woman if she wasn't fond of the male. It's almost five hours of several ways of lovemaking that Freyja wasn't aware could be done later, when his seed is in the proper place and they are finally asleep.

With the help of the beam, she moves male and woman to procedure tables. She keeps the male sedated and starts the process that will make him believe what they've done was nothing more than a dream.

Then she concentrates on the female. Carefully, Freyja checks that the egg she had helped evolve earlier that day when she healed the woman's womb, is in fact impregnated. She sees the cell division happening, then she develops it further.

When it's of the appropriated size, she fixes it on a safe spot on the womb before helping it to develop a bit more. Once she is sure the embryo has attached safely. She starts the process of erasing her memories. Then she dressed them both and send them back to their tent. If everything went according to the plan, in around thirty-six weeks the savior of the Asgard will be born on Earth.

Sam wakes up the following day, feeling utterly relaxed. She looks to the side where Jack sleeps and blushes, thinking she had the hottest dream about him even if she can't exactly remember it. She shrugs, it's better if she doesn't. Otherwise, she would have issues looking at him in the eye without her blush betraying her dreams.


	24. Hell yes!

"And that's how it happened," Freyja says. Jack and Sam are blushing furiously. Certainly, General Hammond didn't need to know they spent five hours going at it like rabbits before Freyja could do her deed.

Still, she had said 'it took them five hours of coupling before the male cells were in the right cavity to reach the female cells.' They both know they won't be able to look at Hammond in the eye for a while. So they fix their glares on the two aliens.

"You have evidence that even if their," Hammond stops. He clears his throat and blushes up to his ears. "Their coupling happened by their own means, but they wouldn't be able to stop themselves?"

"Yes. Once there are feelings involved, no matter how much the human denies them. There won't be a way for them to step away from the trance produced by this situation, I've placed them in."

"Can you provide us with such evidence?" George asks.

"Yes," Thor says, passing him a rock. "I believe Major Carter knows how to use it."

"I do."

"We are indebted to you both, Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill. We know Freyja's actions have put your lives at risk. The information added, includes evidence of what Freyja mentioned. Along with explanations of several of our scientists about how the environment created affects the thought process. How it is possible to have a memory modified in the way you had. Also, how it is possible that embryo aged three during the first day of its conception."

"Thank you, Thor. We hope that will be useful." They nod.

"I also recorded this for Jacob Carter." He says giving them another rock. "I explained it's our doing."

"Please tell me you didn't mention the five hours thing…" Jack mumbles.

"I thought I should leave personal details outside the scope of it."

"Thanks."

"As for punishment. Loki is being kept away from any experiments involving humans around the galaxies. He will now only have access to the cloning fixing situation. Since he is the one with the most knowledge about it. Freyja, on her part, will be banished from humans experimentation. Her knowledge will be used to help improve the world under our protection. But she won't be able to travel to any worlds anymore."

"It seems a bit soft if you ask me," Jack points out.

"It's the first time in millennials that Freyja has done something without the consent of the whole council. However, if we aren't lenient with her, thousands of humans won't be able to reproduce or find their mates anymore."

"It's enough punishment that she can't help them, Jack," Sam says giving his hand a light squeeze. He takes a deep breath.

"Okay."

"Well, thank you, Thor. I need to inform the President about these changes. I'll recommend you two to remain here until that's done."

"Yes, sir." They both said.

"We will come back in time to help you with the birth, Major," Thor adds. "O'Neill."

The Asgard trio disappears then, and they are left alone inside the briefing room. Jack can't help but fidget as they wait for Hammond to return. Once he can't keep himself still anymore, he starts pacing. It seems like forever before Hammond finally walks out of the room. A somber expression on his face as he walks down towards them.

"Sir?" Jack asks, feeling his heart in his throat.

"If you hurt that woman, Colonel. I swear to you that your days at Ba'al's prison would look like a paradise. Did you hear me, son?" Hammond whispers to him.

"Yes, sir!" Jack says loud. Then they turn to find her frowning.

"The president sends his congratulations to you both. He also recommends that you get married before the arrival of the baby. He believes there won't be any issues due to the Asgard factor. Since you're both still working in the same base, a marriage would help in keeping with the rules."

"You mean?" Sam blinks.

"Yes, Sam. You can tell anyone you want and there won't be repercussions from those actions."

"Holy Hannah! Sir! That's amazing!" She says and embraces him. Hammond chuckles at her reaction. "God, I can't believe we can tell people finally," Sam adds. Turning around towards Jack, but finds him gone. She hears the metal sounds of someone going down the stairs towards the control room.

"Go," Hammond nods. She rushes down after him.

Jack has the biggest grin she's seen on his face in forever. He is about to get the PA system started.

"Wanna get on with it?" he grins.

"Hell yes!"

"Hi, this is Colonel O'Neill. I just wanted to let you all know that my fiancée and I are happy to share with you, that we are having a boy. Please return to your duties now." He says and Sam chuckles.

She's about to kiss him when she remembers where they are. So she simply pecks his check. Then she starts to walk back towards her lab.

**Two weeks later**

Sam shuffles awkwardly on her feet as she holds a sign in her hands. She looks around, but the truth is, she doesn't even know what the person she's waiting for looks like. She rubs her now obvious belly, as Bumper kick around.

"Please tell me that you're Samantha Carter," a woman says, as she approaches her. Sam blinks. The woman looks nothing like Jack, with black hair, white skin, and hazel eyes. With three kids in tow.

"Violet O'Neill?" Sam asks.

"The one and only," the woman grins. "These brats are Scott, Deanna, and Andrew." She says as she introduces her kids. "Jack said you were gorgeous. Boy, he wasn't even close on just how beautiful you are! So, where is that brother of mine?"

"Ah, he got stuck at work." Sam grins. "I'm taking you to his house, so you can get some rest. He'll pick me up from there, so you can keep my car." Sam explained as they walk towards the parking lot. They manage to pile up all their luggage in the trunk and soon they are on their way.

"So, if you are taking me to 'his house' where is home?" Violet asks. Sam smiles.

"Wherever he is," she answers truthfully. "But, after a few talks we decided, we'll do some changes to his house. So it becomes ours. Meanwhile, we have everything we need in mine. The contractors said eight to ten weeks, and then we have to decorate it as we please."

"And Bumper?" Violet grins. Sam chuckles.

"God, I only hope Bumper doesn't get stuck as his nickname. He still has ten weeks ahead before he gets a real name."

When Jack gets to his house to pick Sam. He notices he was right. His sister loves her. He knows he can reassure her when they get home, that everything would be alright for the next day. When Sam disappears into the bathroom. Jack looks at his sister.

"So, the verdict?" he asks. She punches him on the shoulder.

"You should've married her when you realized you loved her all those years ago."

"Well, those are things one can't change, right? Did she explain to you how to get to the restaurant?"

"Yup"

"And that the catering service will arrive around 10?"

"Yeah."

"What about…"

"Jack… she mentioned everything. I think I made her nervous," Violet grimaces. "I like her, Jack. She seems perfect for you." When Sam gets back. They exchange goodbyes and he takes her home.

"She likes you, Sam."

"Really?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"God… that's soo good to know!" They arrive home and get ready for their last dinner as legally single people.

Everyone seems to be there. They are not so sure how it happened. Mark, Lilah, Linda, and David. Violet and her kids. Janet, Cassie, Daniel, Teal'c, Hammond, and even Jacob Carter. They enjoy a lovely dinner but don't remain for too long. Since the ceremony will be the next day at 5:30 pm and there's still much to do.

"I'm glad you decided to stay," Sam says. As she snuggles up to him. "I wouldn't be able to sleep if you were anywhere else tonight."

"I know."

They make out for a while, taking their sweet time before parting ways with a sigh. The doctor had forbidden them from sex a week ago. Until week thirty-eight at least. So, they keep their needs somewhat at bay. Surprisingly, they actually manage to sleep.

By 4:30 pm they know they've should set the ceremony at 5 as they wanted. Not at 5:30 as everyone had recommended them.

"So, what's with all this waiting?" Mark asks. He finds Jack and Sam talking with Daniel, Janet, and Violet. "I thought you military lot were punctual."

"Okay, I'll get it. Blame the civilians," Violet says, raising her hands in surrender. "But, hey, at least you'll know if you ever decide you want the 'fancier wedding' done, right?"

"Why didn't you wait and just do a fancier one if that's what you wanted?" Mark asks and Sam raises an eyebrow at him. "Dad?"

"And Hammond and the President might have sent a warning too…" Jack smiles.

"I thought you were clean with the rules," Mark frowns. "That's what you both said when you visited me."

"They are good," Jacob says. "But no one wants them pushing their lucks. Or maybe, they just wanted to settle that god-forsaken bet that's been running their base since they met."

"A bet?" Violet asks curiously, eyeing at the blushing pair.

"Yup. There's a lot of money on it too."

"Do we know who got it?"

"Siler," Daniel says. "He said he would use the extra cash to get some better safety gear." Sam snorts.

"I'm not sure that'd be enough."

"Internal jokes?"

"Just a guy who seems to attract injuries," Daniel asks. "Hey, everyone is around. Why don't we just do it?"

"Are you in a hurry, space-monkey?"

"I'm just afraid Bumper will decide to jump out on us earlier than expected," Daniel shrugs.

"Shhh! Don't say that!" The group turns to him.

"What?"

"You just don't go tempting fate, Daniel," Janet adds, shaking her head. "Besides its just a bit too early."

"Let's go get married!." Jack grins.

They move to Jack's garden. The whole back yard is decorated. There're just flowers around a gazebo that has been out there forever. There's a small table with flowers, candles, and a feathery pen. It's Teal'c's honor to bind them together.

He stands right next to his two friends, and their extended family, and smiles.

"Dearly beloved," Teal'c starts with his deep voice. "We are gathered here to join these two souls in the only way that remains between them, that of the United States of America. I've seen them grow and thrive both in peaceful times and in sorrowful ones."

"I've seen them sit in the most complete silence and noticed there was much they were saying by not saying anything at all. I've seen them exchange acts of love that no one noticed, not even themselves. I've seen them fight their emotions so many times. In all the time I've known them, one thing remained. They always did what it was best for the other."

"Daniel Jackson and I had the honor of becoming silent witnesses of how their friendly care and heroic admiration became more than words can explain. Without ever once breaking the rules." Teal'c smiles looking at Jack. Remembering that even in the looping days, Jack would first resign before he would kiss her. When Jack answers him with a knowing smile. Teal'c knows he's thinking about the same thing.

"So, it's my honor to join you both on this new path you will walk together. Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill, will you enter into this marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?"

"You better say yes, Jack!" Jacob whispers, making them chuckle.

"Yes." They say.

"Are you prepared to love and honor each other for as long as you live?"

"I am," Jack searches for her hands. She takes his hands willingly, as Sam locks their gazes in one of their famed silent conversations.

"Are you prepared to accept this child lovingly and bring them up accordingly?" Teal'c asks again.

"I guess we are," Sam grins as one of Jack's hands finds her bump.

"We are," he states and receives a kick in agreement from Bumper.

"Since your intentions are to honor the path of this marriage union. Join your right hands. Johnathan O'Neill, do you take Samantha Carter to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her in good times and in bad times, in sickness and in health? To love her and honor her all the days of your life?"

"I do."

"Samantha Carter, do you take Jonathan O'Neill to be your husband? Do you promise to be faithful to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health? To love him and to honor him all the days of your life?"

"I do."

"May this day strengthen the bond you share. What was united today, let no one put asunder." Teal'c states. Then, he guides them as they exchange the rings that will sit on their fingers or dog tags for the years to come. And finally, he makes them sign their certificate.

As most of the crowd cries, Teal'c smiles a big happy toothy grin. One that shows them exactly how happy he is.

"Now, by the power bestowed in me by the Universal Life Church dot org. I declare you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

Jack grins as he gets as close to her as he can before he dips her low and kisses her thoroughly. Only stopping when his waist complains about the awkward position and the tremendous effort.

When they stand up, they face the same stony expression they met all those years ago when they first met Teal'c.

"If you ever hurt each other. You will have to deal with me." He says. "So, you better stand up and fulfill the promises you both gave so willingly." They both nod and then Teal'c's smiles. "Congratulations!"

There are several pops of confetti poppers around the small space, Jack's grey suit is now half pink and silverish. Sam chuckles at him and he looks at her. With the flowy dress she picked, there wasn't much sign of her pregnancy. Not until the confetti pooled on top of her belly and her cleavage.

"God, I love you."

They enjoy the afternoon with their family and it's late at night when they drive back to the Glen Eyrie Castle. This time only for cuddling up in their fancy wedding suite. Sam snuggles close to him, her ring shines in the light over his chest. Jack thinks there's not a single moment in his life more perfect than this one. He smiles.

"What?" Sam asks curiously.

"Can you believe we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Freyja's experiment?"

"I guess it ended up okay."

"Just okay?"

"Well, we aren't doing the honeymoon things."

"Right! Still, this moment is perfect."

"There's only one thing that could make it better."

"What's that?" She smiles and kisses him.

"I love you, husband."

"I love you, wife."

**The end…. xD**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me on this journey. :D

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes are my own...I'm sorry.


End file.
